Kingdom Hearts: The Nintendo Version
by KingdomKey23
Summary: What would happen if Nintendo and SquareEnix teamed up to make Kingdom Hearts? You're about to find out as Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi do battle against the heartless, in your favorite Nintendo worlds. Enjoy it from start to finish.
1. Prologue: The Awakening

I've decided to make my first parody of Kingdom Hearts. What would happen if Square-Enix decided to have Nintendo, be a part of the Kingdom Hearts epic instead of Disney? Well you're about to find out. Sora, Riku, and Kairi and Ansem are still the original characters and the Final Fantasy Characters still makes their cameos in this story. There will also be scenes from Final Mix. Also, there will only be three original Kingdom Hearts worlds. (You'll find out why later) And I apologies to any, if you have done this type of story before or have it posted it up. Reminder that I don't own Square-Enix or Nintendo and I do not plan on copying any stories. This is the Prologue Chapter the Awakening.

**Prologue: The Awakening **

For years many of us have wondered, what is out there, are there other places out there besides the world we live in. No one has been able to find that answer. A young boy of 14 was floating under water. He looked unconscious, but slowly opened his eyes. He had brown spiked hair and blue eyes. He wore a red jumpsuit, a blackish-greyish coat with a hood around his upper body, a blue belt around his waist, wearing grey gloves with his fingers showing out, a neckless with a crown on it, and big yellow shoes. As he floated down, he looked up at the sky trying to wake up.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately," he said to himself. "Like, is any of this for real, or not?

He continued floating down as his eyes fully opened. When they did, he was no longer in water, but was on a beautiful island and stood on the sand part. The island had large palm trees, with a wooden looking shed, and a miniature waterfall in the back of the island. The sunlight made the boy shield his eyes as he noticed another boy standing in the water, staring out at the horizon. He wore a yellow sleeveless shirt, blue jeans, black and blue color shoes, and black gloves and blue gloves. His white hair flowed as the breeze blew in.

While the boy looked out, giant tidal waves rose up and landed in the water. The boy with spiky hair felt unsure about going to the white-haired boy or not. The white hair boy turned to the brown haired boy and put his hand out to him. The brown haired boy ran to the white-haired boy and a giant tidal wave hit them both. The boy began spinning under water, but then he noticed the white-haired boy still holding his hand out to him. The brown haired boy tried to grab the white-haired boy's hand, but the water pressure pushed him away from the white-haired boy.

He then floated up and came out of the water gasping the air. He looks around and notices the sunset, and then he looks on the island and saw a young girl waving to him. He waves back happily as he ran to her. The young girl had long red hair and blue eyes. She wore a white tank top, a purple skirt with shorts underneath it, a blue belt around her waist, and white shoes. The boy walked up to the girl and smiled at her. The girl giggled at the boy, but then looked up and noticed a figure falling and a meteor shower is in back of him. The boy and the girl's mouths widen as they look up. To the boys horror, he saw that the figure was him, passed out. All of a sudden he fell back as the girl looked down at him falling.

He kept falling until he fell into the water. He floated slowly down in the water until he landed on the ground. He looked around and began to take a step, but then a bright light flashed, shielding the boy's eyes. A bunch of birds flew up as the boy looked up seeing them fly away. He looked down and noticed he was on a giant circular platform with a picture of a woman wearing an orange and red type of uniform, with a giant green eye lens, and a gun on her right arm.

"So much to do..." called a voice.

The boy looked up at the at the sky, feeling unsure and nervous. He never heard the voice before. His heart was beating rapidly, and his breathing became rapid.

"W-who's there?" the boys asked nervously.

"...so little time." continued the voice.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked in confusion.

"The door is still shut," the voice responded. "Do you think you are ready?"

"Huh?" the boy asked with a confused look.

He looked ahead and noticed a light beaming down from the sky. He wasn't sure what to do. Everything that was going on was very confusion. He wondered if he was dreaming, but he decided to go along with this game. Taking a deep breath in and out, he bravely walked forward to the light, slowly but surely.

"Don't be afraid," the voice said softly. "Take your time. Are you ready?"

The boy glared at the sky again, "Um...I think I am."

All of a sudden, a flash of three lights surrounded the boy, startling him. As the light dimmed three white pedestals emerged from the ground. As they appeared, he noticed three weapons materializing in front of him. One of them had a sword while the other had a staff, and the last one had a red shield. He looked back up at the sky, raising his eyebrow in quirk.

"The power sleeps within you," the voice explained "It gives you form, choose the one that will decide your destiny."

"So, I need to choose?" the boy asked the voice. However, there was no response from the voice. "Hey, he didn't answer me!

Shrugging his shoulders, the boy jumped onto the pedestal with the sword and picked it up. He held the blade up towards the sky and examined it. He noticed that the handle was yellow and there was a red circle in the middle with what appeared to be a shadowing of a mushroom. He lightly tapped his finger on the blade, feeling the sharpness from it. He then heard the voice again

"The power of the warrior," the voice explained " Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction." The voice paused for a moment and then resumed. "Is this the power you seek?"

"Why not?" the boy decided with a smile.

He was then startled again as the sword disappeared from his hand, with small red sparks gently floating up into the darkness of space.

"Your path is set," the voice informed. "But you must now choose something to give up."

"You mean I have to give up a weapon?" asked the boy with a groan "Er, I guess the shield."

The young man walked off the pedestal and leaped onto the one holding the shield. He picked up the shield on the pedestal and looked at it. It was red and it also had a shadow of a mushroom. He began to wonder why the mushroom shapes appeared on each item. Looking over to his left, he saw the staff which also had a blue mushroom shape on the edge of it. The voice was heard yet again.

"The power of the guardian," the voice said. "Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you give up?"

The boy was unsure, but lightly shrugged his shoulders, "I guess...so."

As he finished saying that, the shield disappeared from his hand. The boy moaned, still not getting any answers to his questions. He wanted to know why all of these events were happening. What was the whole purpose of this?

"You've chosen the power of the warrior, and you've given up the power of the guardian," The voice said. "Is this the form you chose?"

He was still a bit un at ease, but decided to go along with it, "Sure."

The next thing he knew the pedestals fell down and the area began vibrating. The floor then shattered and he fell down the endless area of darkness. He felt the force of gravity pulling him down through the endless abyss of darkness. He was lost in the darkness, unable to struggle free, barely able to breath fresh air. It felt like someone was grabbing him and choking him to death. For a few minutes he fell through it, wondering if it would ever stop.

Finally, he looked down and saw the same platform, but with a different picture of a blonde woman who wore a pink dress, and pink gloves. Behind her was a picture of three golden triangles, one on top and two below next to each other. The boy landed on the platform and then saw the sword that he selected earlier appear in his hand.

"Whoa! How did that happen?" the boy exclaimed as the sword materialized in his hand.

"You've gained the power to fight" the voice said.

Shrugging his shoulders, the boy gripped the handle tightly with both hands and swung it. He heard the wind blow from the incredible force he gave it. He swat it a few more times, putting effort into each swing he took. He then rested the blade on his shoulders and grinned with glee.

"Not bad, huh?'' the boy chuckled with pride.

"Not bad at all," the voice said impressed. "But you must remember to use that power to protect you and others from them"

"Who's them?" the boy asked suspiciously.

He then saw a creature of darkness appear from the ground. It walked on four legs, had an antenna like part on its head, and had yellow eyes. It looked on with its eyes of evil at the boy, who nervously stepped back, memorized by what he was seeing.

"What on earth is that?"

Without thinking, the creature smacked the boy down onto the ground. Quickly getting to his feet, the boy quickly swung his sword at the creature, knocking it aside with a hard blow. The creature felt a piece of its body cut off from the sharpness of the blade. The boy quickly charged at the creature and slid his sword under it, and pushed up, knocking it into the air, sending it halfway into the sky. As it fell, the boy slashed at it again, defeating it for good.

The boy wiped his forehead, sighing with relief.

"I knew those sparring lessons with Riku would pay off." the boy sighed.

Unknown to him, more of the strange shadows appeared behind him. They slowly crept on him, taking small steps so that the boy wouldn't hear them, eyeing their pray closely. He looked around to see if anymore were going to attack him, when he heard the voice call to him in panic.

"Look out!" the voice cried.

The boy quickly turned and saw more shadows running at him. Drawing his blade, he charged for the creatures of darkness. He swatted at one, but it leaped over him, landing behind. It swatted at him, but the boy leaped over the attack and brought his sword down. He stabbed the creature in the back, destroying it instantly, unaware of the other two. They both leaped into the air and rammed their heads into his back, knocking him down.

The boy quickly retaliated and slashed both aside with his sword, sending them spinning across the room. While they were on the ground, the boy ran at them and slashed them both away, easily defeating the heartless again. He stood up and sighed with relief again, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. All of a sudden, he looked down to see a dark wave appearing on the ground. The boy felt as if a strong undertow was pulling him under an ocean. He tried to struggle his way out, but the force was too strong.

He used all of his muscles to try and pull himself free, but it was no use. He fell into the darkness, feeling like he was suffocating. He continued to move his body around in fear, trying to struggle his way out. Finally, he awoke from the darkness and hoped that this nightmare has ended, but he then noticed he was on yet another platform with a portrait of some hearts. It had a pinkish-reddish color to it.

"Oh, great!" he said with a groan.

He then saw a door appear on the other side of the room. Curious, he walked over to the door and tried to open it. Unfortunately, the door was shut tight. He used every ounce of strength, but found it to be no use. He left go of the handles and placed his hands on his hips, even more confused.

"Wow, that door is really hard to open!"

Turning around, he saw a red treasure chest appear on the other side of the room. Once again curious, he returned back the part he started and scanned over the chest.

"Hey, there might be something inside." he said intrigued.

For some reason, he easily could open the chest, but as it did, a light flashed before his eyes, causing him to shut them for a brief moment. As he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he noticed the chest was gone, leaving him dumbfounded because of that. He then looked up to notice a huge wooden block has appeared in front of the door.

"Show me how strong you are" the voice said.

The boy pushed the box around, but then for no apparent reason, he destroyed it. He noticed a potion on the ground and picked it up and saved it for later. He then noticed the door glowing. He ran back to it and then it began opening by itself. A bright light came out of the cracks of the door, and the boy shielded his eyes from the extreme brightness.

He bravely walked into the light and arrived on a wooden platform of the same island he was at before. He noticed three of his friends there. One was a boy with yellow shirt, yellow pants, and had a blue ban around his head, and he also had funny looking hair with a spike going up. Another one was a young boy who wore greyish shorts, a yellow shirt, had blonde hair and wore sandals. The last person was a young girl who wore a yellow dress and had long brown hair.

"Thank goodness the dream is over." the boy sighed with relief.

"Hold on, the door won't open yet." said the voice out of nowhere.

The boy smacked his forehead in frustration, "Oh, no!"

"First, tell me more about yourself." the voice concluded.

Wondering if he was still dreaming, he approached the girl, trying to act as casual as possible.

"Hey, Selphie!" the boy greeted his friend. "How are ya?"

"What's most important to you?" Selphie asked the boy.

"Beg pardon?" he said raising his eyebrow.

What was she talking about? What did she mean by what's most important to him? Didn't she know him a lot longer than that.

"I said, what's most important to you?" she said raising her voice.

"Are you feeling okay, Selphie?" the boy asked slightly tilting his head.

"I said, what's more important to you?" she yelled.

"Um, I guess being number one." the boy said with fear in his voice.

"Is being number one such a big deal?"

"O-okay," the boy stuttered nervously.

He walked away from Selphie and walked over to the boy with the funny spike in his hair.

"Hey Wakka! What's wrong with Selphie?" the boy asked him. "She's acting real weird."

"Hey, man, what to you want outta life?" said Wakka with a Jamaican type accent.

"Oh, no! Not again!" the boy sighed sadly

"You okay, man?" Wakka asked

The boy shook his head, I'm fine. Well, I guess to see rare sights."

"To see rare sights, huh?" Wakka asked.

The boy walked to the final person, hoping he may be able to shed a little light on the problem.

"Tidus, what's going on?" the boy greeted the last boy.

"Hey, what are you afraid of?" Tidus asked.

"Better just answer the question," mumbled the boy. The then spoke out loud. "Getting old...I guess."

"Is it really scary to get old?" Tidus asked.

The voice then spoke up again, "You're afraid of getting old. You want to see rare sights. You want to be number one. Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one."

"Well, I guess I can deal with that." the boy nodded with a smile.

"The day you will open the door is both far off and very near." the voice said.

"If I hear about that stupid door thing one more time, I'm going to kick that guy in the shin." the boy muttered to himself.

All of a sudden, a bright flash appeared in his vision for a brief moment, but soon subsided. He was now on another platform with a picture of a woman wearing a crown. She had blonde hair, wore a pink dress, and held an umbrella. Around her were little mushrooms creatures that had a white oval shaped like heads, red dots on them. They wore a blue vests, not buttoned and white pants. The boy walked in and noticed he was surrounded by more shadows.

The boy shouted, "Better take care of these guys!"

The creatures attacked the boy, but he quickly rolled out of the way and kicked one of them back. Another one attacked him, but the boy slashed at it, turning it into dust. Two more came at him and knocked him down to the ground. The boy quickly got up and dived at one of the shadows and destroyed it.

Two more charged at him, but this time he was ready. The boy quickly rolled under the shadows and did a counter slash, destroying them. The boy jumped into the air and landed his sword on the final two destroying them for good. All of a sudden magic stairs with beautiful mural colors painted on them appeared. He noticed that they were leading up to another platform.

"Follow these stairs to set your path" said the voice.

"My path?" the boy asked in confusion.

Deciding he had no choice in the matter, the boy bravely walked up the stairs and arrived on a portrait of a purple fox who wore a white loin cloth and a white bra and held a staff in her hand. He noticed another white light beaming down from the sky and walked up to it, glaring up at the light.

"The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes." the voice said.

The boy looked down to the ground and noticed his shadow was very tall. The unthinkable then happened, it came to life and rose from the ground. The boy jumped back in fear as the shadow transformed into a giant creature.

"What is that?" the boy exclaimed as his shadow transformed.

"But don't be afraid..." the voice whispered. "And don't forget..."

_"How can I not be afraid of that thing?" _the boy thought with a gulp.

The boy ran away from the creature, but he reached the edge of the platform and almost lost his balance, but regained it and turned back and saw a giant creature with the same eyes as the shadows, starring down at him. It had wavy hair and a giant cut out heart on it's stomach. Realizing he couldn't go anywhere, the boy took his sword out and ran at the creature. It threw a giant punch at the boy, but he quickly rolled out of the way. He struck the creature's hand causing it to growl in pain.

The creature grabbed the boy and slammed him into the ground. He got up, panting heavily from all the damage. He still had enough strength to continue the fight though. He ran at the creature again, but the creature punched the ground, calling out more little shadows. They attacked the boy, but he slashed through them, blocking and clashing with them. He then began doing combos on the hand of the creature. The creature continued to growl and then smacked the boy aside with his other hand.

"_There has to be an easier way to beat this guy!" _thought the boy to himself.

He then noticed the creature was getting on it's back and it shot white beams out of it's heart shaped stomach. The boy snapped his fingers, arousing with an idea.

"That's it!"

The boy dodged a few of the beams by rolling around. He finally jumped into the air and when the creature fired a beam at him, he deflected it back hitting the creature in the face, causing it to screech in pain. The boy smirked as he thought the creature had been defeated, but then it quickly knocked the boy's sword out of his hand and he fell down. A dark wave began covering the boy. He tried to escape but couldn't get free. The boy screamed as he struggled. Fear engulfed the boy's body. He got scared, feeling as if he was dying.

"But don't be afraid.." the voice said. "You hold the mightiest weapon of all... so don't forget..."

He heard the voice one final time as everything went black. His body could no longer move, he could no longer breath, everything turned into nothingness. The only thing he heard was the voice once more, whispering in the darkness.

"You are the one who will open the door." the voice echoed.


	2. Destiny Island and Toad Town Part I

**Chapter I: Destiny Island and the Toad Town Part I**

The sun shined brightly as the boy sat up, rubbing his head. He yawned and looked around, noticing he was on the island from his dreams. He heard the waves of the water lightly hit the sand. The seagulls flew over his head, squawking lightly. He noticed the sun was shining brightly in his eyes. He looked back down and rubbed his face, trying to fully wake up

"This dream better be over." he yawned tiredly. He lied back and screamed upon seeing the same girl with the red hair, looking down at him. He turned around to see the girl giggling at him "Kairi, do you always have to sneak up on me like that? Give me a break!"

"Sora, you lazy bum! I kinda figured you would be snoozing around somewhere." Kairi giggled. "Anyone can hear your snoring from a mile away!"

"I wasn't sleeping!" Sora protested. He then lowered his eyes. "Or snoring for that matter. This weird, huge black thing tried to swallow me, I couldn't move, I couldn't breath, I couldn't- OW!"

Sora rubbed his head feeling pain from it. He groaned from the pain in his head and shook it off.

"You're still dreaming again, aren't you?" Kairi smirked.

"I'm...not sure." said Sora in disbelief. "It was this strange place. There was this weird voice and these strange creatures. It was so bizarre."

"Sure, it was." Kairi said sarcastically, giggling.

"Hey, Kairi, since you're not from here, do you know what your old hometown was like?"

"Well, I can't really remember." Kairi said uncertain. "I don't remember anything at all."

"Nothing at all?" Sora asked.

"Nothing."

"Do you ever want to go back?" Sora asked.

"Of course not silly!" She giggled to Sora. "I love it here. Every day the three of us always play fun games. There's no reason to leave. I love it here too much. But maybe I would like to go visit it."

"That's not all." Sora said, standing up with excitement. "I want to see every single world out there. It's been a life long dream of mine. I'll travel to the end of the world, just to see them all. I'm not coming home until I visit every single one."

"So what are we waiting for? We have a raft, so let's go then!"

"Hey! Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" called a voice. The two turned to see the white-haired boy holding a log around his arm. "Besides, the raft isn't even done yet guys."

"Sorry, Riku." Sora chuckled in apology. "I guess we got too excited."

"You're goofing off, while I get stuck doing the dirty work." Riku joked. "How sad." He threw the log to Sora who caught it, but fell down. "And you're just as lazy as he is, Kairi."

"Well, so you've noticed." Kairi chuckled. "Come on guys, we'll finish it together! How about a race?"

"Huh?" Sora asked in surprise.

"What? Now?" Riku added.

"Ready...GO!"

Sora and Riku both stood up and ran side by side. All three of them laughed as they ran under the bridge. The wind blew in their faces from all the excitement and laughter. Their spirits were lifted as they continued to run with full energy. Little did they know that a mysterious brown robed figure with a hood was watching them. He especially looked at Sora, who aroused some curiosity. He then turned and walked away. Later that day, Sora walked over to Kairi who had her back against a wooden door.

"Sora, do you think you can gather up the rest of the equipment?" Kairi asked. "Riku is already doing his share and I've done mine."

"Sure." Sora complied, nodding.

Kairi handed him a list and he walked off. Sora walked ahead of him and noticed a log and picked it up. He knew he wouldn't be able to carry it all, so he looked for a place to put everything. He then walked over to a wooden cabin area and observed it. He thought it would be a perfect place to put everything.

"Hmm..I'll make a pile over here." Sora said to himself.

Sora put the log on the ground near the wooden cabin area. He then left to go find the remaining items when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, man!" called a voice. Sora turned and saw Wakka waving to him. "What's up, ya?"

Sora walked up to Wakka and greeted him, "What's up, Wakka?"

"You want to spar for a little bit man." Wakka asked.

"But you know, I'd kick your butt again." Sora said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I've got things to do."

"Aw, come on man!" Wakka said upset.

"I guess I could take a break for a few minutes." Sora decided with a smile.

"Then, let's rumble!" Wakka shouted.

Wakka took out a ball and threw it as Sora, who jumped out of the way.

"That's why he never wins, he does the same strategy." Sora groaned, rolling his eyes.

Sora ran at Wakka with his wooden sword ready to strike. Wakka threw another blue and white colored ball at Sora again, but Sora knocked it back, hitting Wakka in the head with the ball.

"Ugh, my head hurts!" said a dazed Wakka.

With Wakka confused and throwing balls in random areas, Sora attacked Wakka, hitting him with his sword constantly. Wakka finally regained full control of himself and punched Sora in the face, sending him back and making him fall to the ground.

"Well, he's gotten better." an impressed Sora said. He then saw another ball coming at him. "Whoa!"

Sora dodged the attack again. Wakka continued to throw balls at Sora, who dodged them all. Some almost hit him, but he narrowly missed the attacks. Sora sweated nervously, those were too many close calls he thought. He knew it was time to get serious against Wakka.

"Now for the big finish!" Wakka shouted.

Jumping up into the air, he threw a ball super fast at the boy, but he deflected the attack back with his sword, hitting Wakka in the head, making him fall onto the ground. He weakly tried to get up, but he felt dizzy from the blow and fell down again.

"Um, maybe we should stop." Sora said, worryingly. He ran over to Wakka and bent down to him "Are you okay, dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, bruda." Wakka said exhausted. He then stood up and smiled at Sora. "You've gotten a lot stronger, ya?"

"Well, I've been training." Sora blushed, rubbing his head. "I have some things to do so I'll catch up with you later."

Sora said good-bye to Wakka and walked off to continue his mission.

"Take care man!" Wakka shouted to Sora.

Sora climbed up a few ladders until he reached a small little room. It was a very small squared room and very old. Some grass stuck out from the structures. Sora noticed a white cloth hanging on the side of the room. He walked over to it and felt it. It was sturdy enough, so it could be useful.

"No one will mine if I borrow it." Sora nodded with assurance. He took the cloth and added it to the pile. He then checked off the list with a pencil. "Check!"

Sora walked onto the dock and then noticed Selphie sitting there, watching the water. Her eyes were closed as the gentle breeze embraced her face.

"Ah, the breeze feels so great." she sighed with relaxation in her voice. She turned around and noticed Sora. "Hey, Sora!"

"What are you doing, Selphie?" Sora asked, trying to establish a little conversation..

"Just hanging out and enjoying the breeze." she replied standing up. "By the way, did you hear about the legend of the paopu fruit?"

"What legend?" Sora asked, intrigued.

"They say that if two people share it, they'll be apart of each others lives forever" she explained. "Isn't that romantic?"

"Actually, I was looking for one myself." Sora remarked.

"To give it to Kairi, huh?" Selphie teased.

"Well...I...uh..." Sora stuttered, blushing.

As a boy, Sora has always felt strongly about Kairi. He couldn't stop looking at her with her beautiful blue eyes, he glowing red hair, and her smile. They were always together, no matter what.

"Only kidding with you.." Selphie giggled. "You do what you want with it. It's not my concern."

Sora then remembered had a task to complete, "Shoot! If I don't get going, Kairi's going to kill me!"

"I won't keep you waiting, Sora." Selphie said. "You should get going."

Sora said his good-byes and left. Sora headed up towards another wooden area where he saw a rope and Tidus swiping his red stick.

"Hey, Sora!" Tidus called out. "You want to spar? I'm getting kind of board at swatting at the wind."

"I'm kinda in hurry," Sora said with haste. "I need that rope."

"I'll tell you what," Tidus smirked. Sora knew he was planning something for him. "You beat me and I'll give you the rope."

"I guess I have no chose." Sora moaned, complying.

Sora and Tidus walked down to the beach area to fight.

"You're going down!" Tidus cried, getting his stick out.

The battle began as Sora ran at Tidus with his sword out. He tried to attack, but Tidus did a back flip and countered, hitting Sora in the head.

"Ouch!" Sora shouted as he fell down. He quickly got up, rubbing his head. "That hurt!"

"Get ready for more pain!" Tidus yelled as he charged at Sora again. Sora did the same maneuver again at Tidus which got him annoyed. "You're so predicable."

Tidus back flipped again from Sora's attack. When he tried to countered this time, Sora rolled out of the way of his attacked and hit Tidus in the side, countering his counter. Tidus ran at Sora and they both clashed their weapons together. They struggled against each other trying to push back. Riku watched from a smaller island connected from a bridge. On it were palm trees, one which was bent side ways. Riku sat on the island, impressed with Sora's fighting skills.

"Sora has gotten better." Riku said, impressed. "But he needs to be really strong for this journey."

"Give up, Sora!"

"No way! I need that rope!" Sora shouted.

He pushed Tidus back who fliped and charged at Sora again. Sora and Tidus clashed again and Tidus attacked Sora with fury hits. Sora defended a bunch of blows, but couldn't defend them all and got knocked down again. Sora weakly tried to get up, but the blonde boy knocked him down with his stick.

"Man, you should just quit." Tidus said, laughing at the boy. "I mean, I'm kicking your butt!"

Tidus ran at Sora again, but he tripped on his sandals and stumbled. Sora then violently hit Tidus with his sword. Sora finished his move with a roundhouse kick, sending Tidus spinning into the water. Tidus screamed as he fell into the water. Tidus sat up in the water and rubbed his head.

"Oops! Sorry!" Sora chuckled sheepishly. "I guess I got carried away it."

'Don't worry about." Tidus chuckled. Sora ran over and helped him up. "Man you've got stronger! But chances of beating Riku are extremely slim. Wakka, Selphie and I took on him three to one last time and he creamed us!"

"Yeah, Riku is pretty strong." Sora commented. "I had many spars with him, but could never win. But I will beat him one day."

"Good luck doing so!" Tidus joked. "By the way, you beat me fair and square so here's your rope."

Tidus handed Sora the rope and smiled saying "Thanks! Hope to spar with you again soon!" Sora then left, waving good-bye to his friend.

"You too!"

Sora returned to the pile and placed the rope down. Looking at his list, he saw there was only one more to go.

"Only one more log and that should do it." He said to himself.

Sora walked across the bridge and noticed Riku sitting on a tree. He was faced away from him and watching the sun slowly make its way towards the horizon. Sora walked up to greet his friend.

"Hey, Riku!"

"Hey, Sora! Did you gather everything yet?" Riku asked his friend..

"I just need the log and I'll be done." Sora responded.

"Hey, want to battle for a little bit?" Riku asked. "I'm getting kind of board of sitting here." He then teased Sora. "That is unless you're chicken."

"No way!" smirked Sora with a tough attitude. "I'll beat you this time! I'm ready for you!"

"The tough guy attitude? You're hopeless!" Riku chuckled as he jumped off the tree. He turned to Sora and took out the same wooden sword Sora had. Sora also took his sword out and got ready. "This one will decide the champion! Are you ready?"

"Bring it on!" Sora shouted as he charged at Riku.

Sora swiped at Riku, but Riku jumped out of the way and begin mocking Sora saying "Don't tell me your giving up already?" Or "What are you afraid of?" Sora tried to attack Riku again, but he blocked the attack, countering and hitting Sora in the face and sending him flying into a tree. Riku attacked Sora again, but Sora rolled out of the way and kicked Riku knocking him on the ground.

Riku looked like he was down for the count as Sora charged at him again. Riku then bent his back and his feet and kicked up and hit Sora. Sora jumped back and clashed his sword with Riku's sword. They both struggled for a bit but Riku pushed Sora back and he landed on his feet. Sora ran at Riku again and swiped at him. Riku bent his back and pushed Sora over his himself. Sora recovered and charged again. The two clashed again and Sora tripped Riku, but Riku quickly caught himself and jumped over Sora's next strike.

"Well, you've gotten better!" Riku smirked impressed. "I'm not holding back anymore!"

Riku clashed with Sora again, and this time Sora pushed Riku back and he knocked Riku's sword out of his hand. Sora smirked and swiped at Riku again, but the white haired boy spun out of the way and slid on his knees across the floor and grabbed his sword and jumped up. Sora and Riku got into a sword fight clashing and dodging their attacks for a bit. Sora then saw an opening on Riku and he rammed Riku, causing him to go flying off the edge, but he grabbed onto it.

"Are you okay, Riku?" Sora said, hurrying to help his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Could you give me a hand?" Riku asked, extending his right hand to Sora.

"No problem!" Sora smiled warmly.

He extended his hand to Riku who grabbed on who then pulled Sora over him and he landed in the water. Riku began laughing at Sora who made an angry look at Riku.

"Sorry, man, I couldn't resist!" Riku laughed. He then jumped down and helped his friend up. "You can't help your opponent out, not until they're beaten. Remember that, Sora."

"I'll try." Sora chuckled. "Come on, let's go see, Kairi!"

"Yeah, let's bring the supplies to her!"

The two friends left and Riku helped carry some of the supplies back to Kairi who was waiting for them.

"It's about time!" she giggled "I've been waiting for hours!"

"Sorry, it took so long. We had a few interruptions while we were searching." Sora explained "But we got everything."

"You lost to Riku again, didn't you?" Kairi asked with a giggle.

"Yeah." Sora chuckled. "But I'll beat him someday!"

"Hm, I wish you luck on that." Riku smirked.

"Oh, by the way Sora, this is for you." Kairi said handing him a bottle. "It should make you feel better if your hurt."

Sora received an Hi-potion pocket it for later. For the rest of the day the kids played all sorts of different games and had lots of conversations. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie talked about Blitzball, while Kairi, Sora, and, Riku worked on the raft. Later that night, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie got on their row boats and headed home while the others were on the little island. Sora and Kairi sat on a tree while Riku leaned against it.

"So, do you think Kairi's home is out there?" Sora asked Riku.

"It could be." Riku replied. "But we're not going to know by staying here."

"But, how far could a raft take us?" Sora asked again. "Do you think it's even strong enough to make this journey?

"You're full of question today!" Kairi giggled to Sora.

"Well, I'm not sure, Sora." Riku responded to Sora's question "If it doesn't work, we'd think of something else. There are other possibilities, not just a raft."

"What would you do if you got to another world?" Kairi asked Riku with curiosity.

"Well, I don't really know." Riku responded unsure. "I thought about it, but I'm quite not sure. I've always wondered why we're on this island. If there are other worlds, why were we born on this one? Let's just say there are other worlds, that means that our world is a little part of something even greater. We would have easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know." Sora said laying on a branch.

"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out." Riku explained. "If we stay here, we'd never know about what was out there. It's just been the same old thing on this island, day by day. So let's go."

"You've been thinking about this a lot lately." Kairi commented to Riku.

"It's all because of you." Riku said turning to Kairi.

"Me?"

"When you came to our island, I realized that you weren't from this world." Riku explained. "That's when I knew that there were other places out there. If it wasn't for you, I would never have thought of the idea. Thanks, Kairi."

"You're welcome." Kairi smiled.

"Let's head home, guys." Sora said jumping off the branch.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late." Kairi added.

Kairi ran ahead of the boys and headed towards her boat. Sora began walking when Riku called to him.

"Sora!"

"What's up?" Sora asked.

"Catch!" Riku called, throwing a star at Sora. The yellowed shoed boy caught it and looked at it. "I noticed you wanted one, right?"

"A paopu fruit?" Sora asked in surprise

"Legend has it that; if two people share it, they'll be a part of each others lives forever." Riku explained. "I know what your thinking, give it a shot."

"Huh?" said Sora with a blush "What are you talking about?

Riku laughed and headed towards his boat. Sora threw the fruit away and headed towards his boat. The three friends said good-bye and headed off for home. Sora rowed his boat in the water and looked up at the sky. He wondered to himself what was out there.

Separated through space and time were hundreds and hundreds of other worlds. One world in particular was occupied by a small town with a giant castle. The town was very colorful and full of mushroom like creatures. The town had a garden, tons of shops, and a postoffice. The castle in the back was guarded by a giant blue gate with a yellow star printed on it. Behind the town was a small house near by a green pipe.

The house was made of wood with a red roof top, and near by it was a little mailbox. There was a path that connected from the stairs to the house and to a green pipe. A turtle like creature came floating down carrying a pouch full of mail. The creature itself had wings, a red scarf, a red baron type of helmet and had a brownish type of shell. The creature then put the mail inside the mail slot.

The creature flew looked at the house and called to it, "Mail call!"

It then left the area, knowing he has done his job. The door opened and a tall and skinny man with a black moustache and white gloves, walked out of the house humming a tune. (The Super Mario Brothers Theme) The man wore blue overalls, a green shirt underneath it and a green hat with a green letter "L" on it.

He opened the Mail Box and took out the letters and headed into his house. The house itself was pretty simple with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. The man entered the bedroom and sat on the bottom of a bunk bed. The blankets on the bottom bed are green, while the ones on top are red. The man looked through his letter with disappointment.

"Bills." The man grumbled in his Itallian accent. "Why does my brother always go away on missions, while I get stuck at home with the bills? Mama-mia! But, he was pretty quite about this new mission. I don't think he even told the princess." The man then gasped at one of the letters. "It's from my brother!" He quickly shred open the letter and read it. As he read it, his eyes widen and he got nervous. "On, no! This is terrible! I've got to tell Yoshi!" The man quickly got up and left his house.

He ran to the green pipe and jumped into it.

"Yahoo!"

He slid through the pipe and arrived in the small town. The sign next to the entrance of the town said "Toad Town" Under it in small letters it said. "Home of the Mushroom Kingdom's great ruler, Princes Toadstool" The man quickly ran through the town, heading towards the giant castle which was in the distance. As he ran through town, many of the mushroom creatures waved to him and called his name.

"Hi, Luigi! Good morning, Luigi!" The townsfolk greeted.

"I can't talk right now!" Luigi said, making haste.

He quickly bolted through the rest of town and arrived outside the two giant doors. There, two mushrooms guarded the entrance.

"Ah, good morning, Luigi." one of the guards said, greeting Luigi

"Listen, I need to get through! Something urgent has come up!"

"Of course sir!" the guard complied.

The guards moved out of the way and the giant door open. Luigi ran through and arrived at a giant castle. The castle itself was made out of stone and had a red roof. The castle was in front of a giant field with a yellow path. The path would reach a fork where there were two other yellow paths that went left and right. Straight ahead was a stone bridge that lead to the castle's entrance. In the middle of the castle was a glass portrait of a blonde woman, wearing a pink dress, and it looks like she is praying. Luigi ran down the path.

"Where is he?" Luigi said with panic in his voice. He then turned to his left and noticed something. "Aha! There you are!" Luigi ran over to the grassy fields to where a little dinosaur was sleeping. The dinosaur skin was green, with his front part white from his neck to the back of his tail. He also has red scales on his back. Also on his back was a red saddle and he wore red shoes and he had oval vertical eyes. He snored softly in a cute tone. Luigi then began shaking him. "Yoshi! Yoshi! Wake up! We've got a big problem!" Yoshi however was still asleep. With that Luigi sighed saying "Looks like I have no choice."

Luigi's hand began glowing green and he shot a fireball out at Yoshi's bottom, burning his tail. Yoshi jumped up and screamed and waved his hand at his tail, trying to cool himself off. Yoshi was still a little sleepy as he sat back down and yawned. He then turned to Luigi

"Good morning, Luigi." Yoshi said sleepily. "Why did you burn Yoshi's tail?"

"Listen kid, we've got a big problem!" Luigi told Yoshi. "But you can't tell anybody about it."

"So, Yoshi can't tell Princess Peach?" Yoshi asked.

"Not even Peach!"

"Daisy?"

"No one!" Luigi snapped.

"Oh, Yoshi see! Luigi want to tell secret to Peach and Daisy." Yoshi realized. "Luigi can them now. Good morning ladies!"

"Uh-oh." Luigi said nervously. He turned slowly around and noticed the young woman with the pink dress and another young woman that wore a yellow dress and had brown hair and also wore a crown. "Good morning, Princesses Peach and Daisy." He then lowered his voice. "Um, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear everything" Peach said, a little disappointed. "Luigi, if there is something important going on, then I deserve the right to know."

Luigi gulped nervously, "Well...I..."

"Come on, Luigi." Daisy said softly to Luigi. "You can tell us what the big secret is. Can't you?

"Well, I guess I can tell you guys." Luigi said, blushing at Daisy.

"How about we talk about it over Tea and crumpets?" Peach offered.

"Ooh, Yoshi love crumpets!" Yoshi said excitedly.

The four headed into the castle, not a where of the horrible events that were to come.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Destiny Island and Toad Town Part II

**Chapter II: Destiny Island and Toad Town Part II**

Sora lied beneath his quilt, dreaming of the adventure that he and his friends were going to have on their journey. He thought of fantastic places that only a child could imagine. Discovering an under water city, find a buried treasure or meat mythical creatures. He also dreamed about the paopu fruit and how much he wanted to give it to Kairi. It was something he felt in his heart. It was beating strongly for her and it was his desire. Sora finally woke up from his bed and looked at his clock. He noticed it was already twelve o clock. He gasped in surprise, realizing he overslept.

"On, no! I'm going to be late!" Sora cried. He quickly jumped out of his bed and got changed. After, he ran out of his house and called to his mom. "I'll be back later mom!"

"Be sure to get home on time honey!" called Sora's mom.

"I will mom!" Sora called back.

He bolted outside of his house door and ran all the way to the dock. He jumped into his tiny row boat and rowed as fast as he could to the island. At his pace, it took only ten minutes to each the island. Sora arrived at Destiny island and docked his boat into shore. As he got out, he saw Selphie walking up to him.

"Hey, Sora!" greeted Selphie.

"Selphie, have you seen Riku and Kairi?"

"Well, I heard that they went over to the other side of the island." Selphie answered.

"Thanks, I'll check it out!" Sora said with a smile.

Sora began running across the island. He knew Riku and Kairi were waiting for him, ready to kill him. Then, from out of nowhere, Wakka came and grabbed Sora's neck. The boy gasped for air as his big friend greeted him.

"Hey, man! What's up, ya?" Wakka said choking Sora.

"Wakka, you're choking me! Stop!" gasped Sora.

"Hey, sorry, man. I was haven too much fun, ya?" guffawed Wakka. "What's the hurry, Sora?"

"I have to go see Riku and Kairi, so I can't battle right now!" Sora panicked.

"Actually, I was hoping later you could join me and Tidus for a little exploring." Wakka said.

"Where are you going?" Sora wondered.

"We going to the secret place today. We a bit curious about what's there. There's got to be something there, ya?" Wakka responded.

"Sure, I'll join you, but right now I have find Riku."

"See ya later, ya?" Wakka said, saying farewell.

Sora ran across the beach of Destiny Island and arrived at the door Kairi was hanging out by yesterday. He opened the door to reach the other. This part of the island had wooden platforms all over. Below Sora was a small fountain of water that poured down. Sora would always taste the water in his mouth. It tasted very fresh and clean. Sora also saw a ladder that went up to a platform that had a zip line on it.

In the corner of the area was palm trees all in a row. At the tip edge of it was a star on a tree. Sora looked right to notice Riku standing around. He was very impatient, waiting for Sora to arrive. The boy ran over to his friend quickly.

"Riku!" Sora cried.

"You're late, Sora!" Riku said impatiently. "Lazing off again?"

"No way!" Sora protested. "Any who, I'm here now. So, what's up?"

"We haven't decided on a name for our ship yet." Riku responded. "So, I was thinking we should call it Highwind."

"But I wanted to call it Excalibur." Sora whined.

"Highwind!" Riku argued.

"Excalibur!"

"Highwind!"

"Excalibur!"

"Wait! We're getting no where fast!" Riku said, stopping the argument. "You want to do the usual way to settle this?"

"Okay, you're on, Riku!" Sora shouted with determination.

Kairi then walked over from the other side of the island and greeted the boys. She rolled her eyes, knowing the two where being competitive again.

"Are you two at it again?" Kairi asked with a groan.

"Yes!" Sora and Riku said together.

"Okay, I'll judge!" Kairi announced. "You can take any route you want. Make it to the star and back. First one back wins."

"Let's raise the stakes a little bit." Riku smirked.

"Okay! If I win, I'll be captain." Sora wagered. "And if you win...

"I get to share the paopu fruit with Kairi." Riku whispered.

"What?" Sora asked in shock.

"Deal? Who ever wins is not only captain, but gets to share the paopu fruit with, Kairi."

Sora was shocked. After Riku said to give it to Kairi, now he wants to give it to her? Sora felt a little upset with his friend. Now he was more determined to win this race. He tried to say something to Riku.

"But-"

"Get ready!" Kairi called, interrupting Sora. The two boys got into a running position and waited for Kairi to give them the go ahead. "On your mark, get set, go!"

Sora and Riku took off and began running over bridges and jumping over trees. Riku took an early lead with Sora behind. Sora then figured out a strategy to beat Riku. Sora ran to a ladder and climbed up it. Upon reaching the top, he saw a zip line and grabbed a hold of it. Kicking his feat into air, the line moved Sora to the star where he tagged it. He then saw Riku coming.

"Hey, no fair!" Riku called out.

Sora laughed as he quickly jumped from tree to tree and ran down the stairs. Riku then ran passed him and laughed.

"Oh, no!" Sora cried. "How did you catch up to me so fast?"

"Nice try, Sora!" Riku sang mockingly. "Don't you know I can never be beaten?"

"We'll see about that." Sora responded.

The two made their way back towards Kairi. Sora ran as fast as he could, feeling every breath in his body pushing him on. He could feel the sweat dripping down his skin and his breathing harden. Riku jumped on to a wooden pier near by where Kairi was, but then he fell off it, landing in the water. Sora jumped over the piers and ran at Kairi.

"Come on, Sora!" Kairi said, cheering Sora on.

Kairi also wanted to see Sora win for once. She knew he could do it. Sora ran at Kairi as fast as he could, panting with excitement. Sora's heart was beating rapidly from the excitement. Riku quickly got up and jumped back on to the pier and ran towards Kairi. Sora made a jump for it and tagged Kairi's hand, winning the race.

"I won!" Sora cried as he fell down.

"Hm, barley." an upset Riku said.

"Aw, you sore loser." Kairi giggled at Riku. "You know that it wasn't barely."

"Kairi, I'm not a sore loser." Riku objected. The two then noticed Sora dancing with victory. It was like he won the Super Bowl. "Sora is just a sore winner."

"You got a point, Riku." Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! I won!" Sora cheered.

"Man lighten up! It was just a race!" Riku sighed, rolling his eyes. He then threw a stone to Sora.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"A rare pretty stone." Riku answered. "You won it fair in square." He then whispered in Sora's ear. "By the way, I was only joking about the paopu fruit thing."

"Oh, I see." Sora chuckled. He then blushed, feeling like a fool for dancing. "Sorry, guess I overacted."

"It's alright, man." Riku smiled with forgiveness. The two boys gave each other a high five, knowing everything was okay. "I'll see you later. I've got things to do." Riku then walked off.

"Well, you finally beat him, Sora." Kairi giggled. "Here's something from me."

Then, the unexpected happen, Kairi kissed Sora on the cheek which caused him to blush.

"Wow! That's some reward!" Sora cried

Kairi giggled and walked over to the boat with Sora following her. The boat had a small wooden raft, one log that pointed up and a sail. Sora was impressed with the craftsmanship Riku had.

"Wow!" Sora said in aw. "Riku awesome job on the raft!"

"He sure did." Kairi responded, observing the finished raft. "He told me he always helped his dad in his workshop since he was eight years old." She then turned back to Sora. "Now Sora, we need a few supplies for the boat."

"Why am I your errand boy?" Sora asked angrily.

"Because you do a good job at it." Kairi giggled. "Isn't that why they call you errand boy?" Sora grumbled and put his hands in his pocket. "Don't be such a grouch."

Sora then smiled, "Sorry, I'm still a little bit tired from the race. Don't worry, I'll get it done."

Sora took the list and ran to leave when Kairi stopped him.

"Sora! Take this bottle and fill it up at a clean spring." Kairi said, throwing a travel bottle to Sora.

Sora caught the bottle and left. Sora found a mushroom hidden behind a rock and he pushed the rock in order to get it. He made another pile like before and put the mushroom on it. Sora found another mushroom in a bush and added it to the pile. He walked over to some palm trees and saw some coconuts in them. Sora shook the trees, causing coconuts to fall. He grabbed three of them and added them to the pile. Sora headed back to the other side of the island and did some fishing for awhile.

He went through a small mud pile and grabbed a few worms. Sora sat on the dock for a little while until he got a few nibbles and caught some fish. He added them to the pile as well. Sora remembered early today he saw a seagull egg on a pine tree by the bridge. After looking around he finally found the egg and added it to his pile.

"I think there was a mushroom in the secret place." Sora pondered to himself.

Sora headed over to the secret place near by the waterfalls and crawled through the hole. He arrived at a dark cave. In it were scribbled drawings on the wall. Many pictures that the kids drew were on the wall. One of the most interesting thing in there was a brown door with no knob. Sora had may questions about the door, but never knew it's purpose for being there.

He then noticed a mushroom and grabbed it. Before leaving, Sora noticed one drawing with a scribble of Sora and Kairi. Sora then remembered how when he and Kairi were little and drew those pictures of each other. Grabbing a piece of chalk, Sora drew a star that moved towards the Kairi drawing. All of a sudden Sora heard footsteps and quickly stood up and turned around. He noticed a mysterious person wearing a brown cloak looking at him.

Sora felt nervous upon seeing him. He's never seen this person in his life. He's known everybody on his island, but never this cloaked person with a brown hood.

"Wh-who are you?"

"Forgive me for intruding on you." the man said in a low voice and mysterious voice.. "But, I'm here to see the door to this world."

"Huh?"

"Now, this world has become connected." The man said.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sora asked nervously.

"Tide to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Stop freaking me out like this!" Sora shouted. "Where did you come from? I've never seen you here before."

"I'm afraid you do not know what lies beyond the door."

"Are you from another world?" Sora asked.

"There is so very much to learn, but you understand little." the man continued.

"Was that an insult?" Sora asked annoyed. "Who ever you are, you can't stop me! I'm going to go out there and see what's out there!"

"A meaningless effort, one who knows nothing can understand nothing." the man said quietly. "You know there are many answers and you will discover them, but you will not know everything. What about that door? What do you think is behind it?"

"Well, I'm not sure." Sora said unsure. He turned to look at the door, but when he turned back the man was gone. "Where did he go?"

"Where did who go?" called a voice.

Sora then turned to notice Tidus walking up to him.

"Um, it's nothing." Sora lied as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just can't find Riku."

"He left awhile ago. But Kairi is still here if you're looking for her." Tidus said.

"Thanks." Sora said with a smile.

Taking the mushroom, Sora left and headed to the other side of the island with his supplies. Sora stopped by the mini fountain on the way to fill up the water in the bottle. He also took a sip of the water. It tasted very clean and fresh to him. Sora arrived back at the raft and saw Kairi tinkering with something.

"Hey Kairi, what's that?" Sora asked with curiosity.

"Oh, this?" Kairi said holding up a neckless. "I'm making a neckless out of thalassa shells. Sailors used to wear them in the old days. It would help ensure a safe voyage for them."

"Interesting." Sora pondered to himself. He then remembered why he came back here. "Oh, yeah! I've got the items for you, Kairi."

"Thanks, Sora. Here, I got a hi-potion for you." Kairi said, handing Sora a potion.

"Thanks," Sora said taking the potion. "Come on! Let's head back."

"Good idea. We've got to get ready for tomorrow." Kairi agreed

The sun hit the horizon and the entire color changed into a beautiful red color. Sora and Kairi both sat at the docks, feeling the warmth of the sun embrace their faces. It was truly a magical moment as the two sat together.

"Hey, Sora." Kairi said.

"What's up?" Sora asked, turning to Kairi.

"Have you noticed that Riku has changed?" Kairi asked.

"What do you mean?" Sora said concerned. Kairi looked down and Sora talked softly to her. "Are you alright?"

"Sora, let's take the raft and go!" Kairi said out loud. "Just the two of us!"

"Huh?" Sora said in surprise.

"Only kidding!" Kairi laughed. "I had you there for a second!"

"Ha, you didn't fool me." Sora joked. "I think you're the one that's changed."

"Maybe. You know what? I was afraid of going at first, but now I'm ready." Kairi said softly. "Even if I do leave, I know I can come back, right?"

"Of course." Sora nodded. "Would I lie to you?"

Kairi nodded in agreement. She knew Sora was always trustworthy, "That's good. Sora, don't ever change."

Kairi then stood up to get a better view of the horizon.

"Huh?

"I can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great." Kairi said.

Kairi headed for her boat while Sora stayed behind. He looked out towards the horizon and thought to himself what worlds were out there. He still had the paopu fruit thing going on his mind. Sora got up and headed home for his island. Upon arriving home, he remained silent and walked up into his room. He sat on his bed and looked out the window.

Back at Peach's Castle; Luigi, Daisy, Yoshi, and Peach were all seated in the living area. The room was huge with a giant library, pictures of the mushroom people, and a fireplace at the corner. Peach was eagerly waiting for Luigi to read the letter.

"Luigi, are you going to read the letter?" Peach asked impatiently.

"Okey-dokey." Luigi said holding up the letter. Clearing his throat, he read the letter. "Dear, Luigi. Sorry I rushed off in hurry without saying good-bye, but something terrible has happened, so I had to leave. For some strange reason stars have been going out across many of our worlds. I believe that these stars are the worlds we live in. If that wasn't as bad, the Star Rod atop Star Road has been stolen again, so I had to leave to investigate. Our world is in danger as well, but do not threat because there is a solution. Soon a very special person with a key will show up and that key is the key to our survival. I need you and Yoshi to find him and stay with him. Understand? Unless we don't have that key, we're doomed. I need you to get Peach out of Toad Town and go to an island called Isle Delfino. I originally planed a vacation there for me and her, but when this tragedy struck, I had to cancel the trip. I already took care of the tickets, and the Toad Express should take you over there. When you get to Isle Delfino I need you and Yoshi to find a man named Leon. He'll help you find the key. Luigi, from what I heard the boos have something to do with this goings on, so I suggest brining the Poltergust 3000, just to be on the safe side. Good Luck. Love, Mario. P.S. Tell Peach I'm sorry. Thanks little bro."

"Oh, my! What should we do?" Daisy said in a worried tone.

"We must have faith in Mario." Peach said folding her hands. "For years he and Luigi have defended are kingdom from the evil Koopa tribe and I trust what he's doing."

"Yoshi worried about Mario, too." Yoshi agreed sadly.

"Don't worry, Peach." Luigi smiled, assuring everyone. "I assure you, my brother and this key will be found."

"Yeah, Yoshi help too!" Yoshi said happily.

"Thank you. Both of you." Peach said with a smile.

"I heard about Isle Delfino." Luigi said crossing his arms. "It's the only world that is right near by the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Yoshi thought it was part of the Mushroom Kingdom." Yoshi said.

"Sort of." Peach said. "Isle Delfino is so close that we exchanged goods with it, but people have to fly down there considering it's a different world."

"Hey, I'll hold down the fort till you three get back." Daisy announced.

"But what if something bad happens to you, Daisy?" Luigi asked worryingly.

Luigi took Daisy's hands. He didn't want to lose one of those most important people he loved. Considering the fact that she is his girlfriend.

"Don't worry, Luigi." Daisy said comfortingly. "Even if something happens to me, I'll always think of you."

Luigi blushed and Peach walked over to Luigi.

"I almost forgot. Toadsworth shall be joining us, chronicling our travels." Peach said.

An old mushroom person entered with a walking stick. He wore a vest with a purple button down shirt. He had a giant white moustache and the dots on his mushroom head were brown. He also has reading glasses on. This was apparently Toadsworth.

"Ah, master Luigi." He said, greeting Luigi. "I shall be keeping entries in my journal on your many adventures. Not only that, but I'm also joining you to keep an eye out for the princess. After all, I am very loyal to her."

"Thank you, Toadsworth." Peach said with a smile.

"Good luck guys!" Daisy called as they began to leave.

"Good luck!" Yoshi called.

Luigi rolled his eyes and grabbed Yoshi's arm, "You're coming, too!"

The four left the castle and headed towards the Toad Express.

"Kid, we need to talk for a second." Luigi said, pulling Yoshi aside.

"Aw, but Yoshi want to fly now." Yoshi whined.

"I know, but this won't take long." Luigi said groaning. "Here's the deal; now while we're in other worlds, we can't lead onto where we're from or medal in the affairs of them."

"Why?" Yoshi asked.

"Because if we do, big trouble will happen and everything would get messed up" Luigi responded. "So, I suggest keeping it quite."

"Oh, Yoshi see." Yoshi understood. "Yoshi and Luigi got to protect the world border."

Luigi rolled his eyes as they began to move towards the plane.

"Um, it's order." corrected Luigi

"Oh, Yoshi knew that." Yoshi giggled.

Luigi sighed and the two of them headed over to the Toad Town airport. There was a giant airplane waiting for them upon arrival.

"Master Luigi and Yoshi, glad you could make." Toadsworth said running up to them. "We have all of your things packed, including the Poltergust 3000."

"Why did you go through my things without asking?" Luigi asked upset.

"Sorry, Luigi. We're in a bit of a rush." Peach said. "We need to get there by tomorrow morning so we can check into the hotel."

"Okay! Then let's-a-go!" Luigi announced.

Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, and Toadsworth walked up the stairs and boarded the plane. Luigi, Toadsworth, and Peach sat in big red seats. Luigi pressed a button and a small yellow hole appeared in the wall. Luigi grabbed it and called into it.

"This is Luigi here." Luigi called into the hole. "Luigi Mario to launch crew! Come in launch crew!"

In the control tower were two mushroom like creatures. They had small feet, but no hands. One was a female pink one with a mine helmet on, a small tie on her chest, and a long strip of blonde hair. The second one had white hair on each side of him and glasses with swirly colors on them. The pink mushroom walked over to a microphone and leaned her mouth towards it.

"This is Goombella here." she responded. "Are you ready for take off?"

"Yes!" Luigi responded. "Anytime you're ready."

Goombella then turned to the other mushroom creature. She felt disappointed upon seeing he was asleep.

"Professor Frankly!" she shouted. "Wake up! We need to get ready for launch!"

Professor Frankly got startled and quickly jolted over to the other side of the room. He jumped onto the table and pressed a button with his foot. Meanwhile, Luigi sat back in his seat waiting for the take off. Yoshi jumped onto Peach's lap.

"Aren't you excited, Yoshi?" Peach asked Yoshi.

"Very excited." Yoshi responded excitedly. "Yoshi can't wait to get to new world."

The pilot of the plane got a radio call from Goombella giving the okay to go. Luigi looked out the window and waved to Daisy, who waved back. The Toad Express turned to the run way and the engine fired up.

"Hang on everyone! We're taking off!" Toadsworth announced with enthusiasm.

The ship took off the runway and flew into the darkness of space, with many Toad Town citizens waving flags saying "Good-bye" or "Bon voyage"

Back at Destiny Island, Riku stood out on the deck of his house. He was troubled by something. He saw the wind move rapidly. Looking up, he saw a giant red ball surrounded by dark waves. He's never encountered anything quite like that before.

"I've never seen a storm like that before." He said in surprise. "Something is not right. I think better check it out."

As he began to leave, he heard eerie voices calling to him. The boy became frightened as he looked around for who or what was saying that.

"The door is opening." the voice said

"Wh-who's there?" Riku asked nervously.

"Your destiny has come, the darkness is coming. The worlds are open."

Riku went into a trans like state and walked off. If was as if someone took over all of his senses. Meanwhile, Kairi saw Riku from her bedroom window taking his raft to the island.

"Riku?" Kairi asked in surprise. "Why is he going to the island? I better go see."

Kairi jumped out her window and got on her raft and followed Riku to the island.

Sora lied on his bed in his bedroom, holding the paopu fruit.

"Should I real give it to Kairi?" Sora said to himself. "Is this what I really want to do?"

His room was small with a drawer and a closet. Sora looked up to see a giant toy sailboat he had. He began to hear Kairi's voice inside of his mind.

"_I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it will be great."_

Sora then looked out his window and saw the storm on Destiny Island.

"A storm?" Sora said baffled. He then realized something to his horror. "Oh, no! The raft!" Sora changed into his day clothes and jumped out the window as he heard his mother calling him for dinner. Sora decided to worry about the raft first. He got on his little boat and rowed his way to the island, rowing as fast as he could. Upon arrival at the dock, he saw a giant black ball. "What on earth is that?" He's then noticed Riku and Kairi's boats. "Riku and Kairi are here! I wonder why?" Sora then tried calling for them but there was no response. Then, little dark creatures appeared in front of him making him gasp. "I've seen these creatures before! In my dreams!" Sora took out his sword and attacked one, but it had no effect.

"Okay, these things can't be affected by my attacks." Sora groaned. "Better run!" Sora quickly made a run for it and the shadows chased after him. Sora then looked towards the little island across the bridge and saw Riku standing there. "Riku!" He shouted. Sora avoided more shadows and finally made it over the bridge and ran to Riku who had his eyes closed looking away. "Riku, what's going on? Where's Kairi? Is she with you?"

"The door has open." Riku said under his breath.

"What did you say?" Sora asked suspiciously

"The door has open, Sora!" Riku said, turning to Sora. "Do you know what this means?"

"Um, were going to Disneyland?" Sora asked sarcastically.

"Stop fooling around!" Riku snapped. "It means we can finally go to the outside world! What we hoped for has become a reality!"

"What about Kairi? We can't go without her!" Sora said angrily

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku snapped. "Once we step through the other side, we might not come back. We'll never see our friends and our family again. It's a chance I'm willing to take, there's no turning back. We can't let fear stop us! The darkness can come, but it won't scare me, because I'm not afraid of it. You shouldn't be afraid either, Sora!" Riku then extended his hand to Sora. "Come with me, and together we'll discover our destiny."

"But Riku-"

All of a sudden a dark wave appeared below Riku's feet. The darkness began to eat at his body. Sora tried to save him, but ended up getting caught by the darkness himself. Riku still had his hand out to Sora as Sora tried to grab it. But soon the darkness absorbed them both. Sora felt like he couldn't breath and that he was dying, but then he saw a light, a bright light that covered his eyes.

When he opened them he saw that he was back on the island, with no sign of Riku. Sora could feel something in his hand. As he looked down, he gasped in surprise.

"What is this?"

Sora held up a giant sword which was shaped like a key. The handle was grey with a square around it that was yellow. In the back he noticed a chain with a silver mushroom on the end of it. The blade itself was grey.

"Is this a key? Or maybe a blade?" he pondered to himself. He then heard voices in head.

"Keyblade..." the voice said. "Keyblade..."

Another shadow appeared behind Sora and tried to attack him, but Sora swung at it with his keyblade and destroyed it.

"Whoa! This keyblade must have the power to destroy these things!" Sora shouted in amazement.

Soon more shadows attacked Sora. He quicky ran at one and slashed it to pieces. Another one rammed him, causing him to fall off the little island. Sora stood up and threw his keyblade at the shadow that hit him, killing it. The keyblade then appeared back in his hand. Sora was completely stunned

"It came back to me when I threw it!"

Another shadow jumped at him, but Sora rolled out of the way and kicked it aside. While it was down, Sora struck it with full force, obliterating it. He's never felt such power before. It was like he transformed into a whole other person. Sora then noticed a strange door covering up the secret place.

"I don't remember that door being there. Better check it out!"

Sora ran as fast as he could to the door. While trying to get there shadows tried to stop him, but he knocked the shadows away with his keyblade. Sora finally reached the door and opened it, making him arrive at the secret place. Upon reaching the center he saw Kairi staring at the brown door.

"Kairi, I found you!"

To Sora's horror, he saw Kairi as pale as a ghost. Her eyes were almost completely closed. She had her eyes fixed on him with a zombie like stare.

"Sora..." she said weakly.

Kairi put her hand out towards him when the brown door opened, reveling dark winds gushing out. The wind pushed Kairi at Sora who gasped. Sora puts his arms out ready to catch Kairi, but as he caught her in his arms, Kairi disappears. The wind then blew Sora out of the secret place and sent him flying onto a piece of the island. Sora crash landed on it and then stood up.

"Whoa! Where am I?" Sora said in shock.

Sora then turned around and noticed the same giant dark creature that he encountered in his dream looking down at him. Sora looked up at it with a shocked look.

"Oh, no! Not you again!"

Sora tried to run, but discovers there was nowhere to run. Sora took a deep breath and drew his keyblade and turned to face the Darkside. Thus, the rematch between Sora and Darkside began. Sora ran at Darkside with his keyblade out ready to strike, when it slammed it's fist into the ground creating more shadows like last time. Sora ran through the creatures striking them down with his keyblade.

A few clashed with him, but Sora managed to take them down. The Darkside grabbed Sora again and this time threw him at the edge of the island. Sora grabbed onto the edge and jumps back up. The Darkside fired more beams at Sora, and he deflected them back at the creature like last time.

"Ha! His moves are so predictable!" The Darkside then shot three at him. "Then again I could be wrong!"

Sora deflected one back, but got hit by the other two causing him to fall. He got up breathing heavily from the attack. "I'm not giving up yet!" The darkside puts it's hand into the air and created a giant energy ball. He then smashed it with his other hand sending little beams at Sora.

The boy quickly rolled out of the of a few, and then deflected some away. Darkside slammed his fist at Sora sending him flying into a tree. Sora weakly got up and breathed harder. He wouldn't last much longer against the giant monster.

"At this rate, I could get killed! There has to be another way to beat him!"

Sora then noticed the Darkside's hand was still in the ground. Acting quickly, Sora ran up the Darkside's hand and brought his keyblade down on it, causing it to scream in pain. The darkside back up from Sora and flew into the storm. Sora was out of breath, but he laughed from the victory.

"I won!" he laughed weakly.

He then fell over and fainted from being exhausted. He felt the force of gravity pulled him into the storm. Everything went blank.


	4. Welcome to Isle Delfino Part I

**Chapter III: Welcome to Isle Delfino Part I**

Next morning aboard the Toad Express, Luigi and Toadsworth discussed the plan for arrival to Isle Delfino.

"Master Luigi, here is the plan for arrival." Toadsworth said to Luigi. "We shall go directly to the hotel and after that, I shall guard the princess with my life while you and Yoshi go in search of this key person." He explained

"But can't we at least have some fun, Toadsworth?" Peach asked. She then begged "Please?"

"Well, alright." Toadsworth complied. "Besides, I've always wanted to try some rides at the amusement park anyway."

"That's not fair!" Yoshi said angrily. "Luigi and Yoshi get stuck doing all the work, while princess and Toadsworth have fun."

"But remember kid, we didn't come here to have fun." Luigi stated. "We have a mission! All those worlds are depending on us to find this key."

"Oh, yes and if you look ahead you'll notice this monitor." Toadsworth said gesturing towards the big screen monitor. "It can show us when we arrive at a world, but it will be unknown at the time."

"Why?" Yoshi asked.

"My aren't we full of questions." Toadsworth chortled. "Remember, we don't know a thing about other worlds and this will be our first time there. Afterwards, we should be able to remember it." He finished

"You should find that Leon person, Luigi." Peach added.

"No problem,. We'll find him faster than a spicy meatball rolling down a hill." Luigi said jokingly.

"Please tell me that wasn't a pun." Peach said raising her eyebrow.

"Um, never mind." Luigi said rubbing his head.

Toadsworth sat back in his seat and put his seatbelt on.

"Now, we should be arriving in a few minutes." Toadsworth said to Luigi. "I suggest rolling up your sleeves Master Luigi because it tends to get hot on Isle Delfino."

"On, no! Yoshi have no sleeves! Yoshi going to burn!" Yoshi panicked.

"But you don't even wear clothes." Toadsworth stated.

"Oh, yeah." Yoshi giggled. "Yoshi forgot about that."

"Ooh, look at that!" Peach called.

The others turned to notice a sun with black oval eyes on the big monitor. The screen showed the next clip of a sign that said "Welcome to Isle Delfino." In the back was a green circle with a picture of a yellow circle. Next to the word Isle was another sun with black oval eyes. Below was a subtitle in a blue, very thin rectangle that also said Isle Delfino. Luigi also noticed tropical trees in the background picture and at the bottom were fish.

"Cool!" said Yoshi in amazement.

The title shift to the left of the screen reveling little creatures around a huge statue. The creatures had leech seeds on the top of their heads, and their bodies came in many different colors, blue, tan, etc. The creatures wore grass skirts as the only piece of clothing. From what the group could tell, if the creature wore a green grass skirt it was male and if it wore a yellow and red skirt it was female. The town around them had small building made out of bamboo. Far in the back, a giant volcano could be seen.

"Welcome to the sun-drenched tropical paradise of isle Delfino!" The blue creature said happily to the audience, namely Luigi and the crew. "We're so pleased to welcome you to our beautiful home!" During the creature's narration, clips of many sights of the island were shown. Including food which made Luigi and Yoshi drop their mouths in hunger, a theme park and other sites. "Come enjoy a natural wonderland to which we've added the world's finest resort facilities, a spectacular amusement park, and succulent seafood." He continued as the citizens began dancing. "This and more await you on Isle Delfino! Come relax and let us refresh your body and spirt." He said finally finished.

Unknown to the citizens or Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth, a mysterious figure was jumping around in the background which Peach noticed with a shock.

"Mario?" she gasped in surprise. Peach pressed pause on the monitor and looked closely at the figure. It wore a hat and was holding a stick. However, it looked like a shadow. Sitting back in her seat, she turned to Luigi and Yoshi who were still dazed from seeing the food. "That...that shadow?" she began saying. She then turned towards Toadsworth. "Toadsworth, did you see..."

She began saying, but realized that Toadsworth was daydreaming. She shook her head and sighed as she sat back in her seat. The Toad Express entered the worlds atmosphere and flew in.

On Delfino Island, an airport could be seen. Indeed a mysterious figure was painting orange and red type graffiti around the runway. It looked like a painting of a man with a moustache and a hat with the letter "M" on it. The figure ran over to a supply of big tanks and marked "X" on them. It then ran behind a corner and began painting on another figure's face.

The figure was leaned against the bottom of the tank. The figure was out cold and didn't budge an inch. That figure fainted was non-other then Sora getting painted. The other figure evilly laughed and ran away causing Sora to wake up. He was a little drowsy, but he opened his eyes and looked around.

"Am I dreaming?" a dazed Sora asked himself. The graffiti on his face burned in to him and he felt it. It felt like he jumped into hot lave. The pain was unbearable. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" He shouted. "What's on my face? It burns!"

Sora quickly ran around the island in a panic. Most of the citizens were watching Sora in confusion. Some thought he was just a maniac while others thought he needed help. Sora finally saw the ocean near him and dove off the side of the runway and landed in the water.

Little did Sora know that while he was cooling off, the Toad Express pulled in. It had to come to a screeching halt when the pilot noticed the graffiti. This caused everyone in the passenger lounge to fall out of their seats. Luigi shouted "Mama-mia!" while everyone else screamed. The group was on the floor with everyone on top of Luigi.

"What happened?" Peach asked

"Did we blow a tire?" Yoshi asked.

The group stood up and exited the plane only to see the graffiti. Other toads that were aboard the ship were observing the graffiti.

"Okay, this is weird." Luigi said noticing the graffiti.

"What's this icky, paint-like goop?" one of the toads asked.

"It's...moving!" another added, feeling nervous about it.

"Now, now boys! Don't touch that stuff!" Toadsworth warned the other toads.

Peach all of a sudden saw the mysterious figure again, standing on a tank.

"Um, excuse me, but..." Peach began to say to Luigi and Toadsworth. However, the two were talking.

"What do you think happened?" Toadsworth asked Luigi. "Could this be the foreshadow of what Master Mario said would befall upon us?"

"Possibly," Luigi responded. "But with the stars going out, this could be the beginning of something that's worse to come!" He added.

"Look a star is going out!" Yoshi shouted.

Everyone looked up to see a star blinking out in the sky.

"Come on everyone! Let's get going!" Luigi announced.

World Name: Isle Delfino

The group headed over to the building where two security guards with moustaches and security hats stopped everyone.

"Alright!" one said, stopping the group "Now, is your name Mario?" He asked Luigi.

"That's my last name." Luigi said. "My first name is Luigi."

"Hm, but you look just like him." The other security guard said.

"He's my brother." Luigi replied.

"Aha! Mr. Luigi your brother has committed a very serious crime!" The guard said.

"He did?" Yoshi asked dumbfounded.

"Impossible!" Peach exclaimed. "Mario would never commit a crime!" She protested.

"Listen, lady, if you look to your left you'll notice a wanted poster." The group saw a wanted sign with a hand drawn picture of the perpetrator. It looked very similar to the picture of the graffiti man from the runway. "As you can see, based on eye witness descriptions, this man is the culprit. The one responsible for this graffiti is non other then the famous Mario!"

"It can't be! Mario never hurt anyone!" Yoshi protested

"Besides, it looks like a two year old drew that wanted picture." Luigi commented on the picture.

The other guard got offended by what Luigi said, "Hey! We can draw just fine! Watch it or I'll book you!"

"Cool it, Bob!" The guard said to the other guard. "Now if you'll follow us up stairs, we would like to ask you some questions."

"We're kind of in a hurry." Peach said.

"Don't worry this won't take long." The guard said.

The group followed the guards into the airport and up the stairs to the security office. Meanwhile, Sora finally cleaned his face off in the ocean and floated on his back and looked up at the sky. He felt the smoke leaving his face and cool water taking over the intense heat.

"Well, I'm not dreaming." Sora said. He then made a depressed look as he remembered what happened to his friends. "Riku, Kairi. What happen to them?" He floated up and looked around the airport. "But the real question is, where am I? Am I in another world?" Sora jumped back onto the runway and was greeted by a citizen of the island.

"Young man, are you alright?" he asked Sora. "I saw you screaming early."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora replied. "My face was burning for some reason. By the way, do you know where I am mister?" He asked.

"You're on Isle Delfino. A tropical paradise!"

"I really am in another world!" Sora gasped. He couldn't believe it. After all these years of trying he truly was in another world. "Um, is there anyway I can find some information?" He asked the citizen.

"Sure, go into the airport and take a right." The citizen replied. Sora began walking right towards the graffiti and noticed it.

"What's that goop?" Sora asked, turning to the citizen.

"It's graffiti. For a few days this island has been polluted by this stuff." he explained. "A mysterious person has been ruining are very way of life. We're not sure what to do."

"Sorry to hear that." Sora said, feeling sorry for him. "But I really need to get going. I've got to find out what's going on here."

Sora said his good-byes and entered the airport. Inside, Sora noticed people sitting in chairs waiting for planes. Sora walked over to a desk where another security guard was.

"Can I help you, young man?" the guard asked.

"Hi, I'm not from here, you see I'm from another world. I was on my island and then this storm came taking me away from my world and ending up here." Sora explained. "Do you think can help me?"

"Listen kid, I can't help you find your way back home if you really are from another world." the guard said. Sora then made a disappointed look "But what I can tell you is that many people have lost their worlds and have come to live here. Maybe if you go into town, someone could help you." He added.

"Really?" Sora said hopefully.

"Sure, but you're going to have to take the boat over to Isle Delfino." The guard answered "The next one leaves in two minutes. If you leave now, you can hurry up and catch it." He added. "By the way, watch out for that graffiti! It's pretty dangerous."

"Okay, I'll be careful." Sora nodded.

Sora ran out of the airport and left. Luigi and his group walked down the stairs with the guards.

"Okay, bub!" The guard said to Luigi. "I'll let you off this time, but I suggest talking to your brother about what he's doing. If this ruckus is still going on within the next few days, we're going to have a real problem!"

"But I told you my brother isn't the culprit!" Luigi protested with anger.

"Listen pal, the citizens all gave us the same description which basically describes your brother." The guard explained. "The people of Isle Delfino are trying to get rid of this graffiti just as much as we are. They wouldn't lie to us, would they?"

"He's got a point." Peach agreed.

"Maybe it imposter." Yoshi suggested

"We would actually need evidence to prove that hypotheses." Toadsworth told Yoshi.

"Oh." Yoshi realized. He then looked at Toadsworth with confusion. "Um, what Hypotheses mean?"

"Take the old man's advice pal. If you want to prove your brother is innocent, then gather evidence. " the guard said.

"We'll worry about that later." Luigi said.

"But he's your brother." the guard stated. "You should help him if he really is innocent."

"We have another big problem at hand that should be dealt with first." Luigi said. "I'll deal with this later. Come on! Let's get to the island!" He said to his group.

"Alright, get going!" the guard said. "But I'm keeping my eye on you!"

"Wait! Yoshi need to go to bathroom!" Yoshi cried, jumping up and down.

"But, we're in a hurry!" Luigi said. "The boat is going to leave any minute!" He then turned to Peach who had an upset look and arms crossed. He then turned back to Yoshi with a groan. "How badly do you have to go?"

"Bad!" Yoshi said anxiously.

"Alright, I'll take you to the bathroom." Luigi said rolling his eyes.

Luigi took Yoshi's hand and they both walked to the bathroom.

"Thank you." Yoshi said happily.

Meanwhile, the big boat outside pulled out and headed towards the island. Sora just missed it.

"Wait!" Sora called out to the boat. It was too late, it just left. He snapped his finger in disappointment. "Now, how do I get over there?"

"Hey kid, need a lift?" a voice called. Sora turned to notice a sea-turtle in a row-boat. He was in a state of shock. That turtle was talking to him. How was that possible? He must have been dreaming. "Over heard your story. Need to get that island right?"

"Yeah." Sora nodded, a little bit at unease. "I'm trying to figure things out, so I need to go to the main island of Isle Delfino. Unfortunately, I missed the boat." He said sadly. "And I don't know if another one will come in."

"The next one is in a half hour, but no worries." The turtle said with a smile. "I'll take you over myself."

"You'd do that for me?" Sora asked.

"Sure!" The turtle smiled. "Hop on!" Sora slowly got on the boat and he sat down across from the turtle. The turtle took two ores and began to row off toward the island. "By the way, my name is Kapp'n, and who are you my fine friend?"

"My name is Sora."

"Nice to meet you, Sora." Kapp'n said. He then noticed Sora was staring at him with aw. "You know it's not nice to stare like that."

"Sorry." Sora apologized. "It's just I never knew turtles could talk. On my island turtles never talked or row boats. They would slowly walk in the sand and bury their eggs. The only talking turtles I've seen are in cartoons."

Kapp'n laughed, "I see. Looks like you don't get out much. You'd see that there are many interesting things out there."

"I'm not from here." Sora explained.

Sora explained his story to Kapp'n. The turtle nodded with understanding in his heart,

"Don't feel bad, Sora." Kapp'n said comfortingly "I lost my world too."

"You did?" Sora asked with horror.

"Yep. Me and a bunch of friends came to this world after it's destruction." Kapp'n explained. "The peaceful citizens of Isle Delfino helped us build new homes. In fact, a friend of mine and his two boys opened an item shop there." He added. "You should go there sometime, kid."

"I guess I could stop by and look around." Sora responded. He then got excited. "Maybe, someone can help me!"

"That's the spirit kid!" Kapp'n said happily. "Never give up! Any who, we should be there in twenty minutes."

For twenty minutes Kapp'n talked with Sora and he even hummed a few tunes. Sora enjoyed the songs and even joined in. Finally, they arrived at Delfino Plaza where Sora's mouth dropped upon seeing it.

"Whoa!" Sora shouted in amazement

"Well, this is it kid." Kapp'n announced. "Delfino Plaza!"

Sora got off the boat and turned to Kapp'n.

"Aren't you coming, Kapp'n?" Sora asked.

"No thanks, Sora." Kapp'n replied. "I enjoy being out on the big blue sea. Besides, if you ever need me, just call, I'll be around. By the way take this!" He threw a brown bag to Sora. Inside. Sora noticed gold coins.

"Is this for me?" Sora asked in surprised.

"You're going to need it kid." He replied. "Besides, you're growing boy. You need to eat!"

"That's true!" Sora chuckled. "Thanks for all of your help!" Sora then began to walk away.

"No problem, kiddo!" Kapp'n shouted back With that said he rowed his way off the island.

Sora walked around Delfino plaza looking at the sites.

"This place is so much bigger then my island!" Sora said in amazement.

Sora walked around the island noticing a lot of buildings. The houses he saw were made of bamboo. He also noticed a market place were the citizens were selling fresh fruits. He also saw a giant light house far off in the distance, with it's beam on. While looking around, he saw a mini harbor where he saw a giant sun hanging on a tower.

He also noticed a small beach right near by him. The island appeared to be surrounded by water. Sora also saw a giant theme park in the distance which got him interested. As Sora walked off to the right, Luigi and the others stepped off the boat.

"Well, we're here!" Luigi announced.

"This island big!" Yoshi said in amazement.

"It's so bright!" Peach said holding her umbrella up.

"I shall take the princes to the hotel, while you and Yoshi go find Leon." Toadsworth said. "We'll ronde vu for dinner later."

"Please, be careful, guys." Peach said worryingly to the duo. "I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing."

"Don't worry. Yoshi and Luigi be careful." Yoshi said holding Peach's hand. "Yoshi will find Leon!

"We promise to be careful, Peach!" Luigi said. "We'll also clear Mario's good name by finding the real culprit behind the graffiti!"

Yoshi and Luigi said their good-byes and headed off in search of Leon.

Meanwhile, Sora continued searching around the island. He talked to many people asking them for help. Sadly, non of them could help him. He felt a bit at lost. He was confused on what to do, but he knew he shouldn't stop now. Sora then noticed wanted posters of the man with the moustache on the buildings.

"Is this the one responsible for the graffiti?" Sora asked himself.

"Afraid so kid." said a voice. Sora turned and notices another citizen next to him. "That guy is the one causing this horrible graffiti! If this keeps up the shine sprites could disappear."

"What's a shine sprite?" an interested Sora asked.

"Shine sprites are our guardians." The citizen explained. "For years they've protected us from the darkness that has invaded our island. We fear that a great darkness may come and destroy us."

"What kind of darkness?"

"A darkness that may..." The islander then gasped for air and fell down onto the ground.

Sora gasped in horror when he saw the citizen's heart come flying out of his body. He then turned into a black creature wearing a helmet and disappeared. Then, the same black creatures that attacked Sora at his island surrounded him.

"Those are the creatures from my island!" Sora shouted. "Why are there here? Looks like I've got to fight them!"

Sora took out his keyblade and got ready to battle. One attacked him and he rolled out of the way and slashed, countering it. The others tackled Sora, sending him down. He quickly shooed them off and slashed them all in one swing. More appeared and Sora slashed through them, trying to run. Sora quickly ran under a bridge losing the creatures. Meanwhile, Luigi and Yoshi walked by the area Sora was just at.

"Where could he be?" Luigi impatiently said.

"Leon!" Yoshi called.

"Let's look that way." Luigi suggested, pointing towards the light house.

"Okay!" Yoshi nodded.

Meanwhile, Sora walked into the mini harbor, panting from his encounter with the creatures.

"What were those things?" Sora asked. "They must have something to with what happened at my island. And what about that person? What happened to his heart?" Sora then noticed little seeds in the ground. Deciding not to leave those things hanging around in the middle of a harbor, he pulled them out. He then gasped upon seeing little creatures looking up at him. They had a long stem on there heads with pointy noses, and came in five colors. (Blue, Purple, White, Red, and Yellow) Sora bent down to the creatures, looking at them in amazement. "Um, hi there!" He said to the creatures. "Are you lost?"

"I found some, sir!" called a voice.

Sora turned and saw two little men walk up to the creatures. Both men wore space suits as they ran over. One was skinny and tall and the other was short and fat. They had white skin and a red ball on top of their heads.

"Captain Olimar!" exclaimed the skinny one to the short one. "I found some of the Pikmin!"

"Good work, Louie!" Captain Olimar said, patting the skinny one on the back He then turned his attention to Sora. "Thank you, young man! We were looking for them."

"You're welcome sir!" Sora responded. He then looked at the creatures. "But what are those things?"

"They're called Pikmin." Louie told Sora. "These creature have pretty special talents, right sir?" He said to Olimar.

"Yes indeed." Olimar nodded in agreement. "How rude, I forgot to introduce myself." He said turning to Sora. "My name is Captain Olimar and this is my partner Louie. You see we have recently come to this world after a world we were exploring got destroyed. Our ship luckily made it, but the new materiel for the ship got ruined and only the Pikmin can fix it. "

"If we don't get the ship fixed soon, we'll run out of oxygen and die!" Louie added.

"How terrible!" Sora said in horror. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"As a matter a fact there is a way. Louie there is a chance for survival!" Olimar said excitedly. "Young man, could you retrieve the Pikmin for us? You see, we need 99 of them and you found 9 of them already."

"They're scattered throughout many worlds and can be found in the ground." Louie added.

"But I can't carry a bunch of creatures with me while I'm traveling." Sora stated.

"Easy," Olimar laughed. "Louie, hand him the box."

Louie walked back to a house and seconds later came back out with a pocket sized box.

"Use this box to capture the Pikmin." Louie said handing the box to Sora. "When they come out of the ground, use the box to capture them."

"Now, we're not making you do this against your will," Olimar told Sora. "But it would be best if you could help us."

Sora put the box in his pocket and smiled.

"Don't worry." Sora said with a smile. "I'll find them for you."

"Thank you so much!" Olimar said, excitingly shaking Sora's hand. "We could have never counted on a better person! And we'll shall reward you handsomely."

"I've got to get going." Sora said. "I'll keep my eyes out!" Sora said good-bye to Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin and left. Upon leaving, Sora realized something. "But how do I get to other worlds to find them?"

Sora felt a bit disappointed now. He forgot that he had no way to get to other worlds, and here he was raising their spirits. Sora left the harbor, hoping to find some help. Luigi and Yoshi entered the same location, just missing the key wielder.

"This is hopeless!" Luigi groaned.

"Come on!" Yoshi said, trying to rebuild Luigi's confidence. "Luigi and Yoshi can't give up now!"

"Alright, we'll look over by Pianta Village." Luigi instructed

The two headed off to find Leon. Meanwhile, Sora ran into more shadows, but took them out with little difficulty. He slashed through them, cutting them into pieces. He felt the hard force from each blow he landed as he turned the shadows into dust. Sora finally managed to escape and ran over to the center of town. He noticed a bench next to him and sat down. He took a deep breath as he was exhausted from all the fighting. His muscles were sore and could feel them tighten. He felt the sweat drop down from his boy. Slowly, he was able to sit up into an upright position.

"Man, what am I going to do now?" Sora said tiredly.

"Excuse me," said a voice. Sora turned to notice a cat wearing a red long sleeved shirt looking at him. He was once again in shock by an encounter with talking animals. "Do you have the time young man?"

Sora thought he had lost his mind. He was talking to a cat who was asking for the time. He looked at the wrist watch he luckily had to check the time.

"It's about three thirty in the afternoon, sir." Sora answered.

"Say thanks! You're too kind!" The cat said, laughing to Sora. "Really, you're a big help. So do you mind if I sit next to you for a bit?" He asked. "I promise I won't fall asleep, tumble onto you, and start drooling on your shirt."

"Sure." smiled Sora.

"Thanks again, kid!" The cat said smiling. The cat then took his seat next to the boy. "It sure is nice meeting friendly folk in this town. Are you a psycho?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked angrily.

"Just kidding!" The cat said. laughing again. "By the way, what's your name?

"Sora."

"Sora, huh? Now THAT is an odd name!" He said laughing. He then noticed Sora making a disappointed look. "Sorry, kid, I like to joke around. I'm Rover, nice to meet you" He said shaking Sora's hand "So, kid, you're not one of the people I've seen in this town. Where ya from?"

"I'm actually from an island called Destiny Island." Sora said. He then told Rover his story.

"Sorry to hear that kid." Rover said sadly. "I lost my world too. It was terrible! So what are you going to do, Sora?"

"I was hoping to find some help about the whole thing." Sora said. He then put his head down. "But I don't know what to do."

"What? You don't know what to do?" Rover shouted in shock. "Well, we obviously need to find you some help!" Rover then thought about it for a second and then got an idea. "Oh, wait! Boy, am I dense! I have a buddy that runs an item shop on Isle Delfino! He could help you!"

"Really?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Sure kid. Let me give him a jingle! Wait right here, ok? " Sora nodded as Rover stood up. Rover walked over to a pay phone and put some money in it. After a few seconds of ringing, someone answered it "Hey there, Nook!... It's me!" He said into the phone. "So what's the good word?" You ranking in the cash?" He paused for a second listening to the person on the other line. "Ooh, that's rough! Brutal!" He said in aw. "Well, it's a crazy world! Anyway, as I was saying, I found another one who lost his world." He paused again. "Oh, yeah completely! But the poor thing is lost and doesn't know what to do. It's sort of a tight spot." He paused again. "I know, but this kid need's our help! His name? Why do you want to know?" He paused again. "Oh I see, his name is Sora. So, think you can help out?" He listened to the person on the other line telling him something. Rover nodded in agreement and said "Yeah" or Uh-huh" He finally answered back. "Cool! I'll bring him right over! See ya in a few, Nook, my man. Bye!" He hung up the phone and walked back to Sora.

"Well?" Sora asked.

"Good news for you!" Rover said smiling. "My buddy might be able to clear some things up with you about this mess! If you'll come with me, I can take you to him."

"Thanks, Rover." Sora said happily.

The two headed to the item shop when more shadows appear.

"Whoa! What are those things?" Rover gasped.

"I'll take care of them!" Sora shouted as he drew his keyblade.

Sora ran at the shadows and disposed of them. One was about to attack Rover but Sora rolled in and slashed it saving him.

"Thanks, kid!" Rover said with relief. " I owe ya one."

"Don't worry about it." Sora chuckled.

The two continued to make their way towards the shop. After a few minutes of walking, the two finally arrived at a small round house that had words printed in blue. It said "Nook and Sons Item Shop" Sora knew that maybe he would find some answers.

"Well, Sora. Here it is." Rover announced. "The item shop!"

"Let's go!" Sora said to Rover.

"Sorry kid, but I have things to do. Don't worry, I'm sure our paths will cross again."

"Me, too!" Sora said with a smile. The two say good bye and Sora walked into the item shop

As Sora looked around, he noticed a counter and a shelf with items up for sale. An interesting thing Sora saw on one of the shelves was a hose type thing. It looked like a backpack and it had a yellow nozzle on top and water in the tank below. Under it a sign said "F.L.U.U.D"

"You, young man!" A voice addressed Sora.

"Who's there?" Sora asked.

"Over here!" The voice called. Sora turned to notice a brown racoon wearing a dark blue apron looking at him with two littler racoons. "Would your name happen to be Sora?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." nodded Sora.

"Good, good!" The racoon with the apron said. "My name is Tom Nook owner of this store, and these are my boys Tommy and Timmy Nook."

"Hi!" Tommy and Timmy said.

"I just got a phone call about you." Nook said to Sora. "I'm quite pleased to meet you, yes? Something strikes me odd though, my young friend. Arriving in a new world, being lost. Why, it's the craziest thing I have ever heard of! Absolute maddens, hm?" He said laughing.

Sora has had it. He felt like no one even cared about his problem. He slammed his fist down onto the counter.

"Stop laughing!" Sora shouted. He then had tears streaming down his face. "I'm trying to find my way home and no one wants to help me! I'm just lost and I miss my friends!"

"I'm sorry, Sora." Nook said softly patting him on the back. "That just struck my funny bone. Now don't you worry! It's going to be okay." He then turned to his sons. "Tommy, could you get a tissue for Sora, hm?"

"Sure, daddy!" Tommy said walking over to get a tissue. He then handed it to Nook.

"Here you go my friend." Nook said handing a tissue to Sora.

"I'm sorry I acted up." Sora sniffled. He then blew his nose. "I'm just confused, lost, and maybe a little scared."

"When the my two boys and I came to this world, we were scared, too." Nook said. "But a friend of mine helped me out and he'll do the same for you."

"But Rover said-"

"Rover overreacts sometimes." Nook laughed, interrupting Sora. "He gets into people's business too much. I try to warn him, but he just won't listen, hm? This friend of mine is the real one who helped me and he's going to help you."

"Who is he?" Sora asked.

"His name is Cid." Nook responded. "He and a bunch of guys know more about this whole thing then I do. I would take you myself, but I'm a very busy racoon and kind of out of shape. But I'll have Mr. Resetti take you to him." He then shouted to his left. "Hey Resetti, get in here!"

A little mole wearing a yellow mine hat entered the room.

"What do you want, Nook?" The mole known as Mr. Resetti asked angrily. "Are you resetting again? If you are, there's going to be serious trouble!"

"Listen, we've got a bigger problem then resetting!" Nook shouted.

Upon hearing that Resetti gasped in horror.

"What?" he yelled hysterically. "What could be more important then the issue of resetting?" Nook then smacked him across the face. "Thanks, I needed that." He said calmly.

"Now listen, I need you to take this boy Sora to Cid's Accessory shop, hm?" Nook explained. "I'd do it myself, but I'm just too busy."

"Alright," Resetti complied with a groan. "But this better not be a plan to reset again, so I have to take this kid again!"

"What does he mean by resetting?" Sora asked Nook with a raised eyebrow.

"Beats me." shrugged Nook. He then made a worried look. "Sora, be careful. My boys and I wish you luck and I hope you find what you're looking for. Next time, I'll give you a discount on items. Say ten percent, hm?" He laughed.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Nook." Sora smiled with appreciation.

"Call me Tom, son" Nook chuckled. "Take care and come back now, hm?"

Sora and Mr. Resetti headed out of the door and headed to Cid's shop.

"Just to let you know, Sora, I'm not very nice." Resetti said. "People say I've got an Acid Tongue and that I scare people. It's true, you don't want to see me when I'm mad and it even scares my older brother."

"I'll bet." Sora replied under his breath.

The two finally reached the Accessory shop and stop at the door.

"Well, this is where I take my leave kid." Resetti said. "Just take care and don't reset. And by the way, before you go to bed, brush your teeth, now...SCRAM!" He pushed Sora through the door and left.

"Wow, he sure was friendly." Sora said sarcastically.

Sora looked around the shop noticing a fire place, a red love seat, and a counter. Sora saw two men, the one behind the counter was in his late 40's or early 50's. He wore a white shirt and blue geans. He had blonde hair and a brown strap around his hair and had a yellow straw in his mouth. The other man in front of the counter was younger and wore a green jump suit and had black hair. He kept jogging in place.

"Can you please hurry up?" The black haired man said impatiently.

"Hold your horses!" snapped the other man with gruffness in his voice. "I'm only human and I'm not as young as I used to be!" He walked to a counter and grabbed something and handed it to the other man. "That will be five gold coins."

The other man payed the old man five gold coins.

"Thank you, sir!" The younger man said. He then dashed out of the store at light speed running by Sora, making him fall over from the wind. He then stood back up.

"Whoa, who was that?" Sora asked the old man in surprise. "He ran so fast!"

"Ah, he calls himself the 3-D World Runner." The old man replied. "Need some fire power up to fight a giant snake.""You must be Sora. My name is Cid. Nook told me about you. So you need help?"

"Yes, sir!" Sora said. "I was on my island and then this storm came and I ended up here."

"Here's the deal, kid." Cid said with a sigh. "You've noticed those black creatures running around, right?" Sora then nodded to him. "Well, there the ones causing all this. That storm has the power to send people to any other world and a lot have ended up here..." The phone rang and Cid picked it up. "Hello? You're here? Good! I'll get right on it!" He hung up the phone. "Do you mind doing me a favor, kid?"

"I guess so." Sora said with a shrug.

"Could you bring in a shipment for me?" Cid asked. "It's right outside, brown box you can't miss it. And if you ever have any problems, I'll be here."

Sora walked outside and headed towards the center of town. As he made his saw to the center, he heard a mysterious voice.

"If you're not careful, they'll come after you." said a low male voice.

"Wh-who are you?" Sora asked, nervously to the man in the shadows.

Sora took his keyblade out to feel a bit more safer and defensive if he had to. The man came out and revealed himself. He wore a grey leather jacket that went down to his back, a white shirt inside, black pants, and many colored belts around his waist. He had long brown hair and wore a lion neckless. He held a sword that looked like a gun in his hand.

"And they'll keep on coming after you," the man continued. "For as long you continue to wield that keyblade. But why would it choose a kid to wield it's power?"

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked offended.

"Never mind." The man groaned. He then made his way towards Sora. "Now, show me that keyblade."

"Whoa! Hold on a second!" Sora cried, getting into attack position. "I'm not giving you this, it's been helping me beat those black creatures!"

"Hm, your stubbornness will not help you win." The man said, getting his Gunblade ready. "Alright then, I'll take it by force!"

"Bring it on!"

The battle began as Sora ran at the man. Sora attacked with his keyblade, but the man blocked the attack with his Gunblade. Sora jumped back and tried to kick the man, but the man grabbed his foot and threw him at a wall. Sora hit the wall and slowly got back up.

"Give up!"

"No way!"

Sora tried to attack again, but the man spun past Sora's thrust and slashed him in the back, making him scream in pain. Sora spun back and vertically swiped at the man who dodged the attack and tripped him. Sora weakly tried to get back up, but the man knocked him over again with a kick.

"How pathetic." scoffed the man, unimpressed. "I was expecting better from the chosen one of the key."

Sora weakly stood up, readying his keyblade. He wasn't going to give up against this guy.

"Trust me," Sora said weakly. "I've only begun."

"Impressive, you have a lot of determination," the man said, raising his eyebrow, slightly impressed. "However, you're too overconfident in your abilities and that could lead to your downfall. You think you can defeat anyone, and yet, you're not developed."

"Think again!"

Sora gave a hard thrust at the man again, but this time when the man spun Sora tripped him and kicked him, sending the man crashing to the ground. Sora charged at the man again who quickly spun out of Sora's way. Sora angrily thrust again, but the man created a fireball that emerged from his hand. Sora's eyes widened upon seeing this and quickly blocked the attack.

"Well, I've underestimated you." the man said. "You truly do know how to use the keyblade."

"Thanks, but there's no way you're getting this from me." Sora said. "I'd even kill you if I had to."

"Careful," the man warned.. "I'm doing you a favor right here. At this point, I may have to get serious!"

"Bring it on!"

The two clashed blades with each other and they both went into a blade lock. They both struggled against each other and then jumped back The two dodged and clashed with their swords with neither backing down. Sora tried to attack again, but the man kicked Sora. The boy quickly returned the attack, giving the man a hard kick in the stomach. The two went spinning back and landed on the ground. Sora jumped forward and tried to attack again, but the man launched a fire ball at him. Sora narrowly missed the attack. He could feel the heat pass right by his face.

Catching him off guard, the man knocked the keyblade out of Sora's hand and slashed him with ten mighty and vicious blows. Sora screamed in pain again and fell over, gasping for air. He couldn't even stand up again. The battle appeared over as the man reached for the keyblade. Sora quickly jumped back up and rammed the man, knocking the Gunblade out of his hand. Sora grabbed the keyblade and slashed the man hard in the chest, making him fall down hard. As the man weakly sat up, he saw Sora holding the keyblade and the Gunblade, ready to strike.

"Now your...your...your...ugh!"

Sora was too weak to finish the attack. He was so tired that he dropped both weapons and fell over, fainting in the process. The man stood up, brushing himself off in the process. He looked like he was barely effected by Sora's blow.

"Well, he put up quite a fight." The man said impressed.

"Looks like you're slipping, Leon." said a female voice.

The man turned to notice a yong girl walking up to him. She wore tight, short, white, shorts with a blue belt. She also had a white ban around her head and wore a green and white tank top.

"I went easy on him." Leon said to the girl.

"Sure you did, Squall." she giggled sarcastically.

"It's Leon, Yuffie!" snapped Leon.

"Geeze, I was only kidding Leon." Yuffie said upset.

"But enough about that, we must hurry because they're coming." Leon said calmly. "Things have gotten worse, a lot worse."

Leon picked up Sora and Yuffie picked up the keyblade and the two headed off, with Cid watching them leave. Cid just lightly chuckled.

"Ah, that Leon." Cid chuckled. "Such a show off."

Meanwhile, far away a dark castle could be seen. Far from the castle was a blue area that could be seen. It had a water fall all around that went up. On a tiny little island, a person could be seen passed out. The figure groaned and stood up. It is non-other then Riku. He gasped as he looked around his new surroundings.

"Where am I?" ee asked nervously. "I don't remember this place!" He then called out for his friends. "Hello? Is anyone there? Sora! Kairi! Where are you?"

Unknown to Riku someone or something was watching him. It was a giant turtle creature that had a giant green shell with spikes. Yellow skin on his body, orange hair and orange eyebrows, and link chains around his neck, arms, and legs. He made an evil smile at Riku displaying his sharp teeth and sinister chuckle.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Welcome to Isle Delfino Part II

A/N: About Isle Delfino, this story takes place in an alternate universe, so I've made the island its own world to make it more interesting.

**Chapter IV: Welcome to Isle Delfino Part II**

Back at Isle Delfino, a few hours have passed ever since Sora's encounter with Squall..er Leon. It was early in the evening and most of the citizens are in their houses, hiding out from the dark creatures. The few who were brave enough remained outside. In another part of the island, on a beach called "Sirena Beach", most of the citizens have gone into the famous Hotel Delfino for the night. The hotel was a single big building with a bamboo roof and a sign that said "Hotel Delfino" on the front.

It was surrounded by a rather large beach, with beach chairs, a bamboo roof area where people could get out of the shade. It was low tide as the water came in from a distance. Two figures were seen in the back of the building. They were slowly walking around the back of the hotel, as if they were looking for someone. It was non-other then Luigi and Yoshi. They were cautious as they walked down the back of the hotel. The wind howled at them lightly, they felt the tension from it. Yoshi took Luigi's hand, scared as always

"Luigi, I scared," Yoshi whimpered. "Why did Luigi and Yoshi come this way?"

"Kid, we have to search every part of the island," Luigi said nervously. "That means even places where it's dark and creepy."

"Is Luigi scared?" Yoshi asked nervously.

"You kidding?" Luigi responded, laughing nervously. "I'm not scared of anything!"

"But, princess Peach told Yoshi that Luigi was so scared in haunted mansion, the one where they held Mario captive." Yoshi questioned. "Luigi was so scared that he almost went peepee in his pants, and shivered in his boots!"

"Well, I was cold and I had to use the bathroom," Luigi lied. "But I was not scared!" Yoshi made a look of disbelief. "What? I wasn't!"

"Luigi's nose growing," Yoshi giggled.

"Kid, that's just a fairytale," Luigi groaned. "And I'm not a coward! I'm big, I'm brave, I'm..." All of a sudden, a hand lightly tapped Luigi on the back. The man stood frozen for a moment, petrified with fear. "DOOMED!" Luigi jumped into Yoshi's arms, frightened on who did that. "Quick, save me, Yoshi!"

Yoshi rolled his eyes, but at the same time, shivered in fear. He didn't want to know who was behind them. Behind them was a woman, much taller than the duo. She wore a long pink dress that connected to her upper body, and it was sleeveless. She also had brown hair with two splits that dropped down ,and had two pony tails in the back. She wore a purple belt around her waist, with two ropes supporting the belt which were located on her side. She bent down to them, a warm smile across her face. She wasn't threatening and she thought Luigi and Yoshi were funny looking.

She spoke up, her voice very soft and soothing, "Excuse me? Were you two sent here from the Mushroom Kingdom by a man named Mario?"

The slowly turned around to notice her. She appeared harmless to them, but were confused as to how this woman knew they were from the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi was even baffled as to how this lady knew his brother. He slowly got off Yoshi, his breathing was light as he approached the woman.

"And why do you want to know?" Luigi asked with suspicion.

"Please, forgive me for startling you," she apologized, slightly bowing as she clasped her hands together. "Leon told me that..."

"Wait, you know Leon?" Luigi asked in surprise, cutting the woman off.

"Yes, I'm a friend of his," she responded with a smile. "He told me two residents of the Mushroom Kingdom are looking for the key."

The duo sighed with relief, knowing things were starting come together now. This person might be able to help them find this key.

"Relieving ravioli ," Luigi sighed with relief. "Thank goodness were able to find somebody."

"Who you?" Yoshi asked.

"I'm Arieth." the lady introduced herself. "And who might you two be?"

"I'm Mario's brother, Luigi." Luigi introduced himself. He then gestured Yoshi. "And this is my friend Yoshi."

She smiled at them, "It's an honor to meet you both. Now, if you'll follow me, I may be able to explain a few things about what is going on."

Luigi got happy upon hearing that, "Mama-mia! Now maybe we can get a better understanding of what's going on here."

"Please, come this way." Arieth said, gesturing her body towards the hotel

The three headed into the hotel and walked up the stairs. Opening the double doors at the top, they walked in, arriving at the lobby. The lobby itself was blue. The entire lobby was shaped like plus sign Around the lobby, receptions were at wooden desks selling times. There were tour maps, pamphlets for spots on the island, and a snack bar which had fruit out on display. Yoshi, hungry as always, tried to eat the fruit with his tongue, but Luigi held him back.

"Stop that!" Luigi snapped. "Can't you think about something else besides food?"

"Okay, how about candy?" Yoshi asked.

"Still food." Luigi responded.

"Um, pretzels?" Yoshi asked again. Luigi shook his head. "Rock candy, mints, ice cream?" Luigi smacked his forehead. Yoshi started panicking. "YOSHI CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT FOOD!"

"Yoshi!" Luigi shouted. "Calm down!" He then turned to Arieth. "Please, forgive Yoshi. He can be very wild when he doesn't get food down that grand canyon he calls a stomach."

"It's okay," Arieth giggled. "But, we shouldn't waste time. We must head upstairs."

"Okay, let's go!" Luigi nodded.

They turned to leave when Yoshi tugged at Luigi's shirt with his hand.

"Luigi, what about princess and Toadsworth?" Yoshi asked concerned. "Weren't they suppose to meet up with Luigi and Yoshi?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Luigi assured Yoshi. "Come on. We'll worry about them later."

The three headed up the stairs, arriving on the second floor. This floor had three doors with different colors. The one on the right was blue, the one in the middle was red, and the one at the end was green. They entered the red room, Arieth looking around with caution, making sure nobody was following them. As they entered the room, the blue room opened which revealed Peach and Toadsworth.

They both walked outside to look around the area. Peach looked down the stairs, wondering where Luigi and Yoshi were. In her room she noticed the sun going down, meaning it was getting late and the duo haven't return yet.

"Where's Master Luigi?" asked a worried Toadsworth "I don't see him or Yoshi anywhere."

Peach sighed worryingly, clasping her hands together, "I'm not sure, but they'll be okay. I trust in what they're doing and can handle what is out there."

Toadsworth felt a little better from hearing that.

"You're right, princess." Toadsworth smiled. "I'm sure they'll be okay." He then turned back to the door. "Let's head inside and await their arrival."

Toadsworth headed inside and Peach followed. She felt like something was wrong. Turning back, she looked down the stairs, noticing the same figure she saw that looks like Mario sitting in a lounge chair. It was looking at her with a glare of evil in its eyes. Peach looked at it with confusion.

"Mario?" she whispered to herself.

Peach shrugged her shoulders and headed back into the room. Meanwhile, Sora could only see darkness before his eyes. His body felt numb, he couldn't move. Finally, he felt movement in his legs that worked its way up to his neck. He slowly opened his eyes. From his point of view he could see that his vision was blurry. He slowly rubbed his eyes, trying to get the particles out. As his vision got a bit more clearer, he got a decent picture of his surroundings.

He was lying in a single bed that was already made. He noticed the walls were colored green. Looking above, he saw a chandelier hanging on the ceiling. Next to his bed was a small desk that had a lamp on it. Sora looked to see he was in a hotel room of some sort, which was pretty big. He saw a giant round brown table and chair underneath it. He noticed two brown doors, one next to him and one across from him. Sora was about to figure out where he was when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there lazy bum, wake up!" called a voice. Sora looked to his left and saw a blurry vision of what appeared to be Kairi. "You okay?"

"I think so." Sora said weakly, rubbing his head.

"Those creatures that attacked you, are after you because you wield the keyblade," Kairi explained to Sora. "But it's your heart they really want."

Sora thought it was Kairi. He couldn't believe it, she was alive and okay. He was so excited that he jumped up and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi!" Sora said as he excitedly hugged her. "I thought something bad happened to..." All of sudden, she roughly pushed him back onto the bed. He looked up at her, speechless by what she just did. "Kairi! Wh-what did you do that for?"

"Kairi?" she responded in confusion. "Who the heck are you talking about?" Sora then noticed a significant change in her voice. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie!"

Sora rubbed his eyes again and looked back at Kairi, only to see she was replaced by Yuffie. Sora couldn't believe he messed up like that. He blushed, feeling so embarrassed. He couldn't stop thinking about her and he must have begun to hallucinate her.

"Oh, man, sorry about that!" Sora blushed, apologizing nervously. He then rubbed his head blushing "I though you were someone else!"

Yuffie chuckled, "Don't worry about it. That's how clueless people like you act some."

Sora angrily stood up, offended by her words.

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?" Sora snarled. He then stumbled back again, still a little weak from the fight. He feel back onto the bed, his head hitting the mattress hardly. "Ugh!"

"Geeze, he really did a number on you," Yuffie said. She then turned to the shadows. "Looks like you overdid it again, Squall."

Sora stood up and rubbed his face. He gasped in surprise as he saw Leon walk out from the shadows with an angered look.

"That's Leon!" Leon angrily corrected.

"You again?" Sora said standing up. "You're gonna pay for..."

Yuffie quickly held Sora back who angrily made his way towards Leon.

"Hold up little guy!" Yuffie strained as she held Sora back. "This guy was just trying to help you get those creatures off your back."

"You call attacking me helping?" Sora asked rhetorically.

"Please, sit down," Leon said calmly. "There is more to this than you can comprehend. There is a whole logical explanation for this."

Sora sighed and sat back down. He then realized he was missing something. Turning to his left, he saw the keyblade resting next to the door. It started to come together as he understood the name of that weapon.

"The keyblade!" Sora cried.

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you," Yuffie explained, sitting next to Sora. "You see that's how those creatures were following you."

Leon walked over to the keyblade, picking it up, "That little spar of ours was the only way we could conceal them from your heart." Holding out the keyblade, it disappeared before his eyes and reappeared in Sora's hand, startling him. "Sadly, it won't work for much longer. But, I still can't believe that out of all the people you, Sora, are the chosen one."

"Wait, how did you know my name?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Cid saw you walking around the town earlier, holding the keyblade in your hand," Leon replied. "He then told me about the situation and I arrived near by as soon as you met him."

"Clever," Sora complemented. "I guess there is more to Cid then meets the eye."

"Whatever you do, just don't get on his bad side." Yuffie giggled.

"Oh, well. I guess beggars can't be choosers." Leon said directly at Sora.

Sora frowned at the comment, but shrugging it off, he asked the next best question.

"Listen, start making sense around here and tell me what's going on!" Sora demanded

Meanwhile, in the red room next door, Arieth sat on a giant queen sized bed, while Luigi and Yoshi stood on the other side of her. She rested her hands in her lap and leaned forward a little bit, telling her story. Luigi noticed the room was short, shorter then the room Sora was in.

"Okay, so you both know there are many other worlds besides this island and your kingdom, right?" Arieth asked.

"But they suppose to be secret," Yoshi stated, covering his mouth. He then shrugged his shoulders "But Yoshi never knew why."

"Because we'd cause big trouble, that's why." Luigi responded.

Arieth shook her head, "There's more to it then you think. They've been secret because they've never been connected, until now." She put her head down sadly. "You see, when the heartless came everything changed."

Meanwhile, back in Sora's room...

"Who are the heartless?" Sora asked.

"They're the creatures that attacked you." Yuffie said giggling.

"Creatures born without hearts," explained Leon. "They get attracted by the darkness in people's hearts, and every person has darkness in their heart."

"Everyone?" Sora asked Leon.

"Unfortunately," Leon said sadly. "They have no judgement. They consume those who have hearts, transforming them into creatures of darkness."

"Sounds brutal." Sora said, feeling a bit edgy.

"It is." Yuffie said. "By the way, have you heard of someone named Ansem?"

Back at the other room.

"Ansem?" Yoshi questioned, resting his chin on his index finger the thumb.

"He was the leader of our world. He was trying to study the heartless." Arieth explained. "He recorded all of his finding in very detailed reports. Those reports might have a solution to stop them."

"Then, can Yoshi and Luigi see them?" Yoshi asked.

"I can't." Arieth denied, shaking her head.

"What, is it confidential or something?" Luigi asked a bit offended.

"It's not that, but you see, its pages were scattered." Arieth responded.

"Scattered? To where?" Luigi asked curiously.

"Across too many worlds" Arieth answered.

"Oh, I get it," Luigi exclaimed, snapping his finger in realization. "That's why my brother probably left! To go look for them!"

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly!" Arieth nodded in agreement.

"We got to find Mario!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Don't get excited, kid!' Luigi snapped at Yoshi "We still need that key!" He then turned back. "What is this key anyway?"

"It is called the keyblade." Arieth told Luigi.

Back at Sora's room...

"So, this thing is called a keyblade?" Sora asked, observing the giant key.

"Yes, exactly!" Yuffie said.

"The heartless fear the keyblade," Leon explained. "It is the only thing that can defeat them. They'll stop at nothing to get it out of your hands. Without the keyblade, they'll take your heart, so they'll keep coming after you no matter what."

"But I never asked for this," Sora protested. "It just appeared in my hand."

"The keyblade chooses who the master will be." Yuffie explained. "Out of all the people in the world, it chose you!"

"So, tough luck kid." Leon said, leaning his back against the door next to Sora.

"It's still confusing me," Sora muttered to himself. He tried to get a picture of everything that happened. The storm, receiving the keyblade, and Kairi and Riku's disappearance. "I just don't remember how this all happened. I was in my room and-" Sora then gasped in horror, realizing something. He stood up worryingly. "Wait! What happen to my home? My island? Riku!" He felt sorrow fill his heart as he said the last part slowly and sadly. "Kairi."

"You know what...I really don't know." Leon responded.

Sora felt like everything was hopeless. He lost his home, and his two best friends. He put his head down in sorrow, feeling like someone stabbed him right in the heart, giving him a taste of reality. He thought traveling to other worlds would be fun, but he wasn't going to do it without Riku and Kairi.

"What should I do?" Sora asked sadly.

"You'll have to fight them," Leon said. "Sooner or later they will find you. You'd best prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself?" Sora asked as he looked up.

"Yeah." Yuffie nodded. "By the way Sora, the keyblade is sort of like a master key, it can unlock almost anything. It might come in handy, but just try not to use it to steal anything."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sora chuckled lightly. He then turned back to Leon with seriousness. "What did you mean by prepare myself?"

"To fight for your life," Leon responded. "When we leave this room, you must be ready for their attack. Are you ready for them? Of course, I can understand if you back down from..."

"No, way!" Sora shouted confidentially. "I never back down from anything! Just because I lost my home from those freaks doesn't mean I'm backing down!"

Leon smiled, "Impressive, you truly are one that never gives up. Not a lot of people would accept their destiny, but you're different. I can see great thing coming from you." Sora blushed at the comment. He felt a bit of influence. Leon then turned to Yuffie. "Yuffie, let's go join Arieth. She should be here with the other visitors."

"Leon!" Yuffie shouted, pointing to the right of the room.

The two turned to see a heartless soldier appear in front of Yuffie. Leon heroically leaped forward, gunblade held high, and slashed it aside. It flipped back into a wall, and retaliated, grabbing onto the gunblade. Leon tried to push it off, but the grip was too strong. Leon looked over his shoulder to see Yuffie.

"Quick, Yuffie! Run!" Leon shouted to Yuffie.

Nodding, Yuffie ran to the door next to the bed. Sora gripped the handle of the keyblade and bolted forward, quickly bringing his keyblade into the air and knocking the heartless off Leon. Luigi and Yoshi were preparing to head next door. As Luigi walked up to the door it slammed open, knocking him into the wall, the door smashing his face. Arieth saw Yuffie running by. She knew something was wrong. She ran after Yuffie, leaving Yoshi perplexed

"Yuffie!" Arieth shouted.

Back in the other room Sora and Leon surrounded the heartless, who was backed into a window. Leon furiously swiped his blade hard, the heartless quickly side stepped the attack. It leaped at Leon again, but Sora swatted it back. Sora joined Leon's side, the two holding their weapons firmly in their hands.

"Sora, let's go!" Leon announced.

"Okay!" Sora nodded. Leon quickly shot a fireball out of his hand, the ball hitting the creature, knocking it out the window. _"Ooh, that's going to hurt in the morning." _

The two quickly ran out of the hotel room and ran to an emergency exit on the right. They entered a small room with stairs that went up or down. The heartless appeared on the stairs, awaiting the heros arrival. Sora swung the keyblade back and forth, slashing the heartless into pieces. He felt the force of their bodies as he pushed his weight into the attack. Leon jumped on one's shoulders, and then jumped off. He turned around, firing another fire ball, knocking it back.

Sora grabbed the railing as he reached the bottom of the stairs and slid his hand on it, turning around to go down the next set. Sora saw more approach him from the next set of stairs. He quickly jumped onto the rail and slid down on his behind, slashing through the heartless quickly and harshly. Leon ran down the stairs, the gunblade rested on his shoulders. Leon gave an uppercut to one, knocking it into the air. Sora leaped off the rail and slashed it from the front. He landed on the ground and joined Leon. The two quickly ran for the exit door, and pushed it open, arriving in the back of the hotel.

Yoshi was looking around the room for Luigi. Since he's a bit slow, he didn't know where the plumber was. He checked under the beds and looked in the draws. He looked up and called for Luigi.

"Luigi! Where is Luigi hiding?" Yoshi called.

"I'm behind the door!" Luigi cried with a muffle.

Yoshi looked around the room in confusion, "Why do Yoshi hear voices?"

"It's-a-me!" Luigi shouted from the door.

Yoshi heard Luigi's voice coming from the door. He walked over to it and closed it, revealing Luigi, who feel down and hit the ground. Yoshi just giggled at seeing the plumber on the floor. Meanwhile, Sora and Leon ran outside the hotel to the shores of Sirena beach. The two continued to battle the heartless, delivering hard blows to each of them. Finally, they reached the shores of the beach, stopping to catch their breath.

"What do we do?" Sora asked Leon tiredly. "We can't beat them all."

"There's a solution," Leon said calmly. "I can feel the strongest source of darkness coming from that amusement park called Pinna park!" He pointed towards a giant island that had an amusement park. "Go there and find the leader! If you beat it, that should cut off the darkness from this world for awhile, but it will be only temporary. Get going and don't bother with the weak ones!"

The warrior quickly ran for it, leaving Sora behind. The boy knew that time was of the essence, but he couldn't swim across an entire ocean.

"There is no way I'm swimming all the way over to that island!" Sora complained. "I'm only human, I can barely handle the deep part." Sora began to think of a way, but knew it was hopeless. He was about to give up hope when he heard a voice

"Hey, dude! Need a lift?" a voice called.

Sora turned and noticed a young man on a jet ski. He had red short cut spike hair and was Japanese. He wore a red life jacket, and white shorts with an orange flame printed on it. His jet ski also had an orange flame on it.

"Yeah, I need to get to that island!" Sora told the man, pointing at Pinna Park. "It's an emergency and I really need help!"

"Hop on!" the man replied helpfully. "I'll get you there in seconds flat!" The young man quickly brought his jet ski up to the shore. Sora quickly ran over to it and jumped onto the back seat. The young man stared up the engine, while looking over his shoulder to see the boy. "By the way, my name is Ryota Hayami."

"Well, thanks, Ryota," Sora smiled. "I really appreciate the help. Oh, and my name is Sora."

"Hang on, Sora!" Ryota cried. "We're going to go at maximum power!"

Ryota revved the engine and soon enough, slowly pulled out into the ocean. Turning the jet ski around, he drove off towards the island as fast as he could. On the way rough waves appeared in the water. They felt the waves push them up, the water splashing in their faces. The man even jumped off one and made the jet ski flip, spinning both him and Sora. They then landed perfectly on the ground.

"Whoa, that was cool!" Sora said impressed. "Are you a professional at this?"

"You could say that," responded Ryota with a chuckle. "I enter a few tournaments now and then."

Meanwhile, Luigi and Yoshi ran down the stairs of the hotel lobby, wondering where Arieth went. Leon entered the lobby, looking around to see if everything was alright. It seemed peaceful at the moment. The heartless weren't wrecking any havoc upon anyone. He wondered where Yuffie and Arieth were. He quickly ran to the other side of the room to see if they were around. However, he accidently ran into Luigi and Yoshi, knocking the duo over.

Luigi and Yoshi looked up to see Leon standing before them. Luigi screamed and ran behind Yoshi, thinking Leon was going to hurt him.

"Listen, take my money, take my hat, take Yoshi, but don't hurt me!" Luigi begged.

"Hey!" Yoshi growled angrily.

Luigi whispered in Yoshi's ear, "Relax, just eat that giant sword and we're home free."

"Calm down," Leon said calmly. "I'm not here to hurt you." He then recognized Luigi. "You're Mario's brother, aren't you?"

"How do you know?" Luigi asked.

"I am Leon, the one you're been looking for help." Leon replied.

"So, you're Leon," Luigi gasped in realization. He then blushed, chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry I acted up."

Leon crossed his arms, "I accept the apology, but there's no time to lose. The key you're looking for headed to Pinna Park. If you leave now, you can catch up to him."

Luigi got on Yoshi's back, "Quick, kid, let's head to the harbor and use the cannon." He then nodded to Leon. "And thanks."

Yoshi headed off with Luigi on his back, leaving Leon to watch them leave. He curiously looked at the duo as they headed for the door. They were strange characters indeed, he thought. But he had a feeling that these two would make a difference in Sora's battle. The jet ski finally pulled up to the shores of Pinna Park, giving Sora the chance to hop off. After thanking the wave racer he entered the park through an upside down 'u' like entrance.

Sora noticed that the park was abandoned due to the face that the heartless were invading. As he walked through the gates. Sora looked around the park noticing many different types of rides. He saw a purple octopus Ferris wheel, a spinning ships ride, and a red roller coaster track moving around, above the island. He also saw a Yoshi-go-round with other color Yoshis, different from the green lizard. As Sora walked to the center of the park, looking around for the leader that Leon mentioned.

Little did Sora know that Luigi and Yoshi arrived a few minutes ahead of him. They were up in the line for the roller coaster, getting a better look around the area. Yoshi looked over and saw Sora looking around. Yoshi excitedly grabbed Luigi's arm.

"Luigi! Luigi!" Yoshi cried excitedly.

"If you have to use the bathroom again, then tough luck." Luigi said sternly.

"No, Yoshi find the...!" Yoshi replied.

"Quite!" Luigi snapped. "I can't find the key with you talking!"

Yoshi moaned, realizing it wasn't easy to get Luigi to listen at times. All of a sudden Yoshi saw two heartless soldiers appear before him. He screamed, causing Luigi to turn around and see the heartless before.

"Holy ravioli!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Luigi, are these the heartless guys?" Yoshi asked Luigi nervously.

"No, they're our biggest fans," Luigi said sarcastically. "Of course they are the heartless!" Luigi got the P3000 ready.

"What should Yoshi and Luigi do?" Yoshi gulped.

"Come on! Let's go get them, Yoshi!" Luigi shouted. "We can handle them!" He then noticed one has conjured up a fire ball, targeting directly at the two. "On second thought, we're pretty much dead meat."

The heartless fired the fireball at Luigi and Yoshi, causing an explosion which knocked the two into the air, screaming at the top of their lungs. Sora heard the screams, and looked up. He gasped upon seeing this and quickly ran for it, also screaming. However, it was too late as the two landed on top of Sora, knocking him over. The three were all on the ground, their eyes spinning from the impact. Luigi and Yoshi were directly on top of Sora, who groaned weakly. The two looked down to notice Sora was holding the keyblade.

"The key!" the duo cried in unison.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Sora asked them angrily. "You guys could have killed me!"

"Sorry, kid," Luigi groaned. "We're weren't planning on dropping in."

"Don't joke, and please get off me!" Sora struggled. "I think you broke my spine."

The duo jumped off Sora's back who slowly got back up. His back felt a bit shaky from the impact, but it wore off pretty quickly. Sora was about to say something to them when the entire area began to shake. They felt the vibration in their feet as it got stronger. Sora fell over from the impact, landing on his back. He stood back up and noticed the gates all around the park were sealed by metal bars. Giant purple cubes appeared from the ground, blocking anyway of escaping.

"It's a trap!" Luigi cried.

Sora noticed more heartless appear on the cubes. One leaped towards him, slashing him in the chest with its claws. Sora screamed in pain and fell over. It charged at him again, the boy scarcely holding up the keyblade. Yoshi quickly rammed his head into the creatures chest, knocking it away. Sora looked to see the creature was knocked aside. He stood up again, brushing himself off. He then turned to Yoshi.

"Hey, thanks for.." Sora began. Upon seeing Yoshi, he screamed. "WHAT? A DINOSAUR!"

"Where?" Yoshi asked dumbfounded as he looked around the area.

Sora couldn't believe his eyes. A real dinosaur was standing in front of him, and he thought they were all extinct. Not only that, but he could talk as well. Sora now thought he was going crazy, but he realized that wasn't important now. Another heartless charged at him from the other side of the area. Sora jumped back and used all his weight to push himself forward. He slashed at the creature, cutting it into pieces.

As he jumped back, he didn't realize another one was coming from behind. Sora was too confident after beating the first one to notice. Luigi noticed this and quickly shouted to him.

"Watch out!"

Sora turned to see the heartless ready to attack him. Luigi quickly turned on the P 3000, the air pulling the creature in with incredible force. It tried to move against the force, but it was too strong for it to handle. Luigi sucked the creature into the vacuum, and quickly spinning around, shot it the other way, knocking it into the other shadow. Sora smiled at Luigi.

"Thank you, sir," Sora thanked. He then looked strangely at the vacuum. "Uh, do you know you're using a vacuum cleaner as a weapon?"

"Yeah? So?" Luigi responded.

Sora rolled this eyes, "Never mind. By the way, do you two have names?"

"Let's get acquainted later!" Luigi said frantically. "Those heartless have us cornered!"

"Maybe, boy, Luigi, and Yoshi should work together." Yoshi suggested

"I'm game." Luigi nodded.

"Sure, I could use some help." Sora smiled. He then bravely turned back towards the heartless. "Okay, let's rock and roll!"

The trio charged at the army of heartless with full force. With Luigi and Yoshi on his team, Sora had no problem taking down the heartless. Luigi shot a fire ball out of the P 3000, hitting the creature in the chest. As it felt the burning pain, Sora quickly slashed at it, knocking it backwards. It charged forward at Sora again, swatting at him with its claw. Sora clashed his keyblade with the razor sharp claws. Yoshi quickly fired an egg at it, knocking it back.

Four more came at Luigi who used his amazing jumping ability to jump over them. He then stomped on them, crushing their bodies into the ground. He clenched his fist tightly, making a glow of green fire fade into his hand. The man rammed it into them, knocking them away with full force. Green fire burnt through the hard metal armor on their body, melting it right on them. Sora leaped forward again, keyblade held in his right hand, knocking the heartless away from him.

He grabbed the handles with both hand and fiercely slashed through them, putting everything into the attack. He then knocked it into the air, sending it flying. Sora jumped up following up with a string of combos. He then finished it with a hard blow, knocking it into the ground. The battle was easy as Sora had two new friends on his side. They noticed more coming at them. Yoshi stuck his tongue out, eating the remaining heartless. Sora's eyes widen in surprise as he noticed the young dinosaur not only eating them, but shooting them back out through the other side as an egg.

"Mmm, that good." Yoshi said, happily licking his lips.

"How did you do that?" Sora asked Yoshi in surprise. "You're a guy, you can't lay eggs." He then paused for a moment. "Um, can you?"

"Trust me, I'm still figuring this kid out too." chuckled Luigi to Sora. "Quickly, stomp on the eggs!"

Sora jumped onto the eggs, squashing them, revealing yellowish goo that formed from the result. Sora flicked his foot to get the goo off his shoes. Luigi and Yoshi jumped on the other eggs, smashing them as well. It seems that the battle was over as the three regrouped, panting from all the fighting.

"Did Yoshi, Luigi, and boy win?" Yoshi asked tiredly.

Luigi shifted his eyes to the left, notice something in the corner. His eyes widened and he gulped nervously.

"I don't think so," Luigi gulped. "Look!"

The trio turned to see purple pieces of metal hit the ground. The pieces quickly bounced back up, spinning into the air. Finally, the pieces formed into body that had no arms and legs. The creature had two metal feet, metal floating claws, a metal chest that was colored purple. On it's chest was a mark of a heat with a cross in it and a floating helmet. It looked down at the trio who's mouths dropped wide open

"Yep, we're definitely not done!" Sora said nervously.

The creature know as Guard Armor sent a flying punch at Sora and his crew, sending them crashing into a wall. Getting back up, they charged at the creature, ready to expect the worst. It spun its hands around like a fan, trying to him them. Sora quickly stabbed at the fan trying to swat it off. The hands quickly spun around the torso, smacking Sora in the face.

It walked forward with its feet pounding the ground, causing the earth to shake. It brought its giant foot down on Luigi who dove out of the way. He shot a fireball at it, doing little to no damage. It kicked Luigi in the chest, knocking him aside. It tried to bring its foot down on the man, but Sora quickly put his keyblade up, blocking the attack. Pushing his weight against the keyblade, he pushed the foot into the air. He quickly grabbed Luigi's arm and moved him out of the way.

The armor threw a punch at the group, but Yoshi swatted away with his tail, knocking it back. The hand spun onto the ground, giving them the chance to attack. The other hand quickly flew to the rescue and knocked them aside, their chests sliding across the floor. They quickly jumped back up and charged forward again, charging with full speed. The hand swatted at them, but they ducked under it this time, avoiding the attack. Sora quickly jumped into the air and slashed through the metal hand, delivering a hard blow. He then grabbed it and knocked it into the other one. Both hands fell down, giving the chance for the trio to attack.

Sora slashed through it, cutting the metal right off of the hands. Yoshi kicked it violently, and Luigi shot fire magic at it. One of the feet quickly flew in and kicked the three aside, knocking them into the wall. No matter what they did, each piece would defend each other. They needed to think of an easier way to break the chain so they would have a better chance of winning.

"There has got to be an easier way to beat this guy!" Luigi said worryingly. "Every attack we throw at him just repels back at us."

Sora thought about for a moment. He knew that if they broke the armor's strategy, they would have an easier chance. Sora then remembered how Yoshi easily ate that heartless in one gulp. That was it, he thought.

"Wait, I got it!" Sora shouted, arousing an idea. He then turned to Yoshi. "Hey dinosaur kid!" he called to Yoshi. "Can you eat that thing's smaller body parts?"

"Yoshi try!" shrugged Yoshi. The dinosaur was a bit unsure, he's never eaten anything like a metal hand before. Being brave, he stuck his tongue out and wrapped it around the hands. He then pulled it in, swallowing it whole. He felt the sharpness of the claws hit his stomach. He sat down and moaned in pain. "Ooh, Yoshi got indigestion from monster."

"And I though he could eat anything." Luigi sighed while rolling his eyes.

"Quick, now's our chance!" Sora shouted to Luigi. He and Luigi smashed the eggs with their feet, destroying Guard Armor's hands. Now all that was left was the torso, the feet, and the head. "There, now it shouldn't be as hard."

The armor sent its two feet at the duo, kicking them in the jaws, knocking them into a wall. They felt the hard impact of their backs hitting the wall, denting it a little bit. The Italian plumber looked at Sora with annoyance in his eyes.

"You were saying?" Luigi asked in annoyance.

"Okay, he got lucky," Sora stated. He then stood back up, rubbing his jawbone. "We won't let that mistake happen again!"

"Look out!" Yoshi shouted.

The two saw the foot coming at them again with a horizontal kick. They both ducked under to avoid the attack of the heartless. They ducked so fast, that for a moment, Luigi's hat came off for a minute and then landed on his head. Sora quickly slashed the foot into the air with a hard blow. Sora quickly jumped up, slashing at it with harsh blows that seemed interminable. He then hammered it to the ground, giving Luigi the chance to suck it into the P 3000. He then shot it out at Yoshi, who used his tongue to eat the other one and spit it into the other one.

Upon contact the two exploded into pieces. It was incredible as together they seemed to be an unstoppable force. Their teamwork was defying all odds. The trio stood before the torso and the chest, its body shaking in anger from losing the other body parts. In spun around at them, but they quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding the attack. Sora slid his feet across the floor and used his hand to stop himself. He charged forward and slashed at the metal, the others also helping. Without its hands or legs it was completely defenseless.

Finally, Sora stabbed the Guard Armor in the chest, making it roar in pain from the hard blow. Sora jumped back as the creature began shaking, knowing it was going to fall. The head then fell off and landed on the ground. The chest then glowed with a bright light, revealing a heart that flew out of it. The chest then disappeared from site, never to be seen again. Sora sighed with relief, knowing they were victorious in their battle.

Sora looked at Luigi and Yoshi, who looked back at him. They smiled at each other, proud of their accomplishment in defeating the beast. They felt stronger together as they looked at each other. The duo walked over to the boy who was still a little unsure about the two funny looking strangers.

"Hey, now that was some good teamwork," Luigi smiled. "You're pretty good their young man."

Sora blushed at the comment, "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you two, so thank you in return."

"Aw, it nothing." Yoshi blushed, giggling sheepishly.

Sora bent down to Yoshi, still amazed about him being a dinosaur.

"I can't believe you're an actual dinosaur," said an astonished Sora. "I always thought they were..."

Luigi quickly cut him off, "Oh, they exist alright. You don't get out much do you?"

"Of course I do," Sora objected. "But dinosaurs never existed in my world, nor did vacuum cleaners suck up things like a black hole."

"That's the Poltergust 3000 to you, kid," corrected Luigi. He then pat the back of it. "This baby is the ultimate in ghost extermination."

"Like the Ghost Busters?"

"Um, something like that," Luigi said. He then shook his head. "Look, I just want to tell you that we've been looking for you, keyblade master, and it's nice to meet you."

Sora blinked in confusion. They were looking for him? He then pointed at himself, wondering if they were in fact referring to him.

"So, you two were looking for me?" Sora asked.

Yoshi and Luigi both nodded.

"They too have been seeking the wielder of the keyblade." called a voice.

Sora turned to see Leon, Yuffie, and Arieth approaching them. Sora was relieved to see the adults were okay

"You guys are okay!" Sora cried happily.

"Yes, we're fine." Leon said with a nod. He then smiled with an impressed look. "I was watching the battle, and I saw that you truly are a lot stronger than I first regarded you."

"I'll say!" Yuffie laughed. "You rocked that heartless badly!"

Leon raised his eyebrow at Yuffie, "Please, don't speak like that again."

"Hey, why don't you come with Luigi and Yoshi?" Yoshi offered to Sora. "We could travel to other worlds in our big airplane. It go vrooom!"

Sora put his head down. It sounded good, but he began to think about Riku and Kairi again. Though it would be nice to fly in a plane, he wasn't so sure he would be able to find him. He felt upset by this.

"I wonder if I can find Riku and Kairi." Sora said sadly.

"Sure we can!" Luigi said trying to cheer up the boy.

Sora looked up at Luigi, hope twinkling in his eyes. Yoshi was a bit unsure and turned to the plumber, whispering in his ear.

"Luigi think so?" Yoshi whispered.

"Well, who knows, we might," Luigi whispered back, a bit unsure. "But we really need him to come with us to find my brother."

"Sora, you should go with them," Leon suggested. "It's possible to find your friends in another world, but I wouldn't a hundred percent guarantee you'd find them."

"I guess." Sora sadly said with a sigh.

Those words from Leon made him more upset, knowing their was a good chance they wouldn't find them. Luigi and Yoshi looked at Sora, noticing the sadness. They both didn't like that. They were both happy, cheery characters who lived in a surreal world where smiles would shine on everyone faces. Luigi extended his index finger.

"Listen kid, I don't mind what you do when you're with us, but I'm not allowing you to come with a face like that," Luigi told Sora. The boy looked up with an offended look. Luigi just chuckled. "No, I'm not talking about your face in general, but the way you're making it. No sad faces, and no frowning, okay?"

"Yoshi no like when people sad," Yoshi added. He then smiled "You got to be funny like us."

"Speak for yourself," Luigi said. He then turned back to Sora. "Our ship, the Toad Express, it runs on happy faces." His mouth widened with a big smile, making Sora look at him like he was insane. "Don't look at me like I'm a nut, I'm trying to get a point across. Smiling keeps you going, and with that kind of attitude you're displaying this may become a dull adventure. Remember to be happy. Can't you at lease make a happy face?"

"Happy? I could try." Sora complied. " Like this?"

Sora put his down and jerked it back up, displaying a giant smile across his face, displaying his teeth. For a few moments everything was quite when Luigi and Yoshi fell on the floor, laughing their heads off.

"That one funny face!" Yoshi said, laughing on the ground.

Leon, Yuffie, and Arieth started to chuckle lightly. Then, as if a time bomb was set off, everyone roared into laughter, including Sora. They were laughing so loud they thought they woke the neighborhood. Sora needed that most of all. It felt so good feeling his diaphragm shake rapidly, the joy of the moment. Sora knew that if he remained strong, there was nothing to worry about, and Luigi and Yoshi showed him that always be happy no matter what the cost.

He knew that the chance of finding his friends was slim, but if he was happy, the adventure would be a pleasant one. Soon, everything died down and duo stood back up. Sora felt more excited now as he nodded to Luigi and Yoshi.

"Okay, why not!" Sora smiled with enthusiasm. "I'll go with you guys! And after all, I've been waiting for a chance to visit other worlds. This should really be fun!"

Luigi put his hand out in front of Sora, as the two formed a circle.

"I'm-a-Luigi." Luigi said putting his hand out, the wrist side.

"I Yoshi." Yoshi said as he lay his hand on top of Luigi's

"And I'm Sora." Sora chuckled as he put his hand on top of Yoshi's.

"All for one and one for all." Yoshi said.

Leon just smiled, knowing that he could count on the three heros. Perhaps there was hope after all for everyone. Unknown to anybody, a group of creatures and people were watching the heros through a green monitor on a table. The group of creatures were surrounding the small table where the monitor was. The room they were in was very dark, and was hard to tell of the surroundings. The first person around the table was a man wearing a red buttoned shirt, red pants, had short brown hair, and white shoes. He had no eyebrows above his eyes, and he sat in a chair, petting a tan cat creature with a red dot on it's head.

"Who would have ever though that a child would defeat that heartless.," The Team Rocket leader called Giovanni said.

Next to him was a green alligator wearing a golden crown, had a golden chest and had a red cape on his back. His sharp claws pounded the table in frustration.

"But it doesn't explain it," The alligator known as King K. Rool said. "How could one boy defeat a heartless? It's impossible!"

Next to him was a man wearing brown armor on his chest, a medieval red shirt on the inside, a giant grey cape, grey boots, a dark tan face, red hair and a crystal on his head.

"It's not just the power of the boy," The dark king Ganondorf explained. "The power of the keyblade gives him that extra strength."

Next to him was a round duck creature wearing a round hat, the bottom part that rested at the forehead was yellow and with a white dot on top of it. He wore a giant red robe, his face was blue, his chest was blue, and he had red and yellow shaped triangles on his stomach. His mitten like hands were yellow, as well as his pudgy feet. Beside the duck was a pink-greyish type snail with whiskers that appeared on his chin and his cheeks.

"Why don't we just turn the little punk into a heartless?" King Dedede the so called "ruler" of Dreamland suggested. "It would make things a lot faster."

Next to Dedede was a man wearing a red coat. He also wore white gloves and sunglasses and had a giant orange moustache and had no hair. His stomach was shaped like an egg.

"And as for the brat's friends, they're lackeys of that fat plumber boy," said the evil mad scientist Dr. Eggman. "They all look like little ugly molecules from where I see them."

"You're not exactly Mr. Handsome yourself." Laughed the evil hated king Black Shadow of the F-Zero races. His suit was all in black with giant horns on his mask.

"You! How dare you say that about me!" Eggman yelled at Black Shadow, offended by his words. "If Chaos were here he would..."

"Silence!" snapped a sinister voice. The villains turned to see King Bowser in front of them. The same creature Riku met upon his arrival to the strange castle. "Remember, that the keyblade chose that little twerp to wield it's magic. But it's magic is no match for what I've got." He then showed the villains a Star on a rod and they all went ooh. "With the Star Rod in my possession again, I am invincible. As for the boy, will he conquer the darkness, or will the darkness swallow him? Ether way, he could be useful to our plans."

He grinned evilly as he looked back at the trio who were walking back to the hotel. Meanwhile, back at the Hotel, the group arrived in the lounge area. Leon crossed his arms as he looked over the three heros.

"Soon your journey will begin." Leon told the trio

"By the way, check out the shops," Arieth mentioned. "They sell a lot of good things, and here's a hundred gold coins from us."

Sora took the hundred coins and puts them in his pockets.

"Oh, and this is from Leon," Yuffie said, handing Sora an elixir. "He has respect for you, and decided to give it to you."

"Thanks." Sora smiled as rubbed his index finger under his nose.

"Now remember, you must work together and keep your spirits up." Leon advised. "It will make you stronger. I wish you all luck and a pleasant journey."

The three said their good-byes and headed for their room. Luigi turned his attention to Sora in all seriousness.

"Since it is nighttime we should head to bed," Luigi stated. "Tomorrow we'll head out aboard the Toad Express to start our journey."

"The Toad Express?" Sora asked Luigi. "Is that what you use to travel to other worlds?"

"Sora, going to love it!" Yoshi said excitedly. "It big plane that go vroom!"

Sora chuckled at Yoshi's goofiness as he flew around him, his arms out at his sides. Luigi just rolled his eyes.

"Luigi!" called a familiar female voice.

The trio turned to see Peach and Toadsworth approaching them, relieved to see they were alive and well.

"Princess!" Yoshi shouted excitedly.

Yoshi quickly ran up to Peach and hugged her.

"Easy! Easy!" Peach cried, trying to calm Yoshi down.

"Master Luigi!" Toadsworth said approaching Luigi. "Glad to see that you and Yoshi are okay."

"Ever since those creatures attacked, we were so worried about you." Peach said sadly.

"Aw, we okay now princess." Yoshi said licking Peach's face.

Toadsworth noticed Sora, "And who might you be, young man?"

"My name is Sora, sir." Sora replied. "I'm the one who holds the key."

"So, you're the one Mario requested for help then." Peach said.

"Yeah, Luigi told me everything about his brother and the graffiti." Sora explained. "And your Princes Peach, right?"

"Yes I am," Peach answered. She then shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Sora."

"And I'm Toadsworth," introduced Toadsworth. "I'm the official chronicler of our journeys. It will be nice to travel with you, Master Sora."

"Master?" Sora asked Toadsworth in confusion.

"It's a habit," Luigi explained. "He always says that."

Toadsworth took out his pocket watch, gasping at what he saw on it.

"Oh, good heavens!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "We should get to bed. Tomorrow's a big day, and we should get plenty of rest."

"Okay, you get a well deserved rest," Luigi told Peach and Toadsworth. "I need to have a word with Sora."

"Good-night then Master Luigi." Toadsworth said.

The two headed up the stairs and into their hotel room. Luigi watched to make sure they got up to the room alright. He turned back to Sora, putting his hand in his pocket, searching for something.

"Now, kid," Luigi said "We'll need extra magic from you, so I suggest reading this."

Luigi handed Sora a dark brown scroll. The scroll reminded Sora of one of those scrolls that people back in medieval times would use to read things. Sora opened the scroll, noticing the black inked words written in cursive. He skimmed through it for a minute, before double checking with Luigi.

"So, do I read this?" Sora asked to be sure. Luigi and Yoshi both nodded to him. Sora then took a deep breath and read it "Oh, light that burns strong, with it's power I can do no wrong. So let it be and let it show, give me the power of a fiery inferno!" Sora gasped at a fireball appeared on the tip of the keyblade, shooting out and narrowly missing a citizen who fell down, getting startled from the fireball. The citizen got up, angrily waving his fist at Sora, who rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry!" he said nervously. He then turned back to Luigi and Yoshi. "What just happened?"

"When reading a magic scroll, you'll learn a magic spell," Luigi explained. "They're across many worlds, and can be very useful." He then turned to Yoshi. "Okay, Yoshi, give him that other thing."

"What other thing?" Yoshi asked dumbfounded.

"You know!"

"Oh, yeah!" Yoshi remembered. He then went through his saddle, and pulled out something. "This is for Sora."

Yoshi handed Sora a badge that looked like two arrows, one that was curved, pointing left, while the other curved down, and pointed right.

"What's this?" Sora asked curiously.

"It called badge," Yoshi explained. "When Sora put it on, Sora can do special moves."

"That's called 'Dodge Roll'. Put it on and see what it does." Luigi proposed.

Sora snapped the bade on his shirt. All of a sudden, as if something took over his senses, he did a super fast roll on the ground and quickly jumped back up. He took the badge off, looking at it in astonishment.

"Whoa!" Sora cried in amazement "That was cool! How did I do that?"

"When Sora put on badge, it causes reaction in Sora's head and make him do powerful things." Yoshi explained.

"My brother used them, and they were very helpful," Luigi said. "I suggest keeping your eyes out for them, kid. They could be useful to all of us later on."

"Anything else I need to know about?"

"Nope, that basically covers everything," Luigi concluded. He then turned to Yoshi. "Okay, kid, time for bed."

"Aw, now?" Yoshi whined to Luigi.

"Hey, growing little guys like you need to get their rest." Sora chuckled with a grin.

Yoshi was about to argue when he felt his mouth widen, feeling air enter his lungs. He was yawning, indicating he was tired.

"On second thought," Yoshi yawned. "Yoshi feel a little sleepy."

"So, let's head to our warm beds, while Sora sleeps outside in the dark." Luigi said

"What?" Sora said in shock, giving Luigi the double look.

"Only kidding!" Luigi laughed. "Your room is next to our room. Leon left it for you."

"Alright, I'll meet you here in the morning then." Sora responded with a nod. "Good-night."

Sora walked up the stairs and opened the red door that was left for him. Inside, Sora noticed the red room that Luigi and Yoshi were in earlier. He sat down on his bed and took his giant shoes, and socks off. He pulled of his coat and hung it up on a coat rack. He stuck his shoes right next to his bed, putting his socks into it. He was so tired from his busy day. He slowly climbed into his bed, removing his crown neckless and white gloves, placing them in the small cupboard next to him.

He turned off the lights and fell asleep without the blankets on. It was too hot to leave them on, considering this was a tropical island. As he fell asleep, he dreamed about when he was young and how he really got to know Kairi for the first time. Young Kairi arrived at the island, confused and a bit scared. She thought nobody would like her, or would just ignore her. As she walked forward she saw a younger Sora and Riku playing tag on the beach. Sora however couldn't catch Riku.

He was a bit taller and faster, giving him the edge. Young Sora gritted his teeth in frustration as he swatted at Riku who ran ahead.

"No fair!" Young Sora shouted angrily. "Slow down!"

"Slow down?" Young Riku scoffed. "Why? So you can catch me? I don't think so." Young Sora continued to chase him until Riku reached the shore of the beach. "Okay, come and get me!" Young Sora ran right at him, knowing he could do it. As he leaped at Young Riku, the silver haired boy ducked under him, sending Young Sora into the water. He started laughing as Young Sora peaked his head out of the water, the split ends of his hair pointing down. "Dude, that's the fifth time this week you fell for the old 'Charlie Brown' trick. You're so predictable."

Young Kairi walked up to the boys, a bit shy at first, but taking a deep breath she spoke up.

"Um, hi," she said shyly.

Young Riku turned to notice her and smiled

"Oh, hello, you must be the new girl that came to this island," Young Riku said. "I'm Riku, and that kid in the water is Sora." he added pointing to Sora in the water.

Sora stood up, shaking the water off his body. He then noticed Kairi, this beautiful girl with red hair and blue eyes. His heart sank upon seeing her. She was beautiful, so beautiful that he started blushing.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Young Sora said with a blush.

"My name is Kairi, and I'm new here," Young Kairi giggled. "I've only come to this island recently."

"Do you know why?" Young Sora asked.

"I'm not sure," Young Kairi responded with a shrug. "But I'm still trying to adjust here."

"Hey," Young Riku said, arousing with an idea. He then put his arm around Sora. "Let us take you on a tour of the island."

"Yeah! It will be fun!" Young Sora added

"Thanks." Young Kairi smiled

For the rest of the day, Young Sora and Riku showed Kairi around the island. All of the places on the island, the sighs, the smells, and the sounds. It was a beautiful sigh indeed. Right away she started to adjust to her new soundings. They also introduced her to Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus. At the end of the day, they all went to the secret place and looked around. Kairi was speechless by the small cave area, seeing all of the drawings on the wall.

"So here it is," Young Riku announced. "The secret place where we draw on the walls. No grownups dare set foot in here."

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Young Kairi said astonished. She then turned to the boys. "I really enjoyed being here. Think we can do it again tomorrow?"

"Of course we can!" Young Sora nodded. "We should do this everyday!"

"Kairi, time to come home!" called Kairi's mom.

"My mom is calling me. I've got to go. I'll come back tomorrow and we'll play some more." she smiled at the two of them, expressing her gratitude. "Thank you. I feel much better about coming her now."

The boys blushed brightly from the compliment and watched her leave. As she walked to Young Sora, she stopped and kissed him on the cheek. The boy jumped back in surprise.

"What was that for?" Yong Sora asked in surprise, rubbing his cheek from the wetness.

"Time to get up!" she said in Yoshi's voice.

Young Sora was startled for a minute. It was like Yoshi suddenly took over her voice.

"Y-yoshi?" Young Sora asked in shock

Sora saw the darkness of his eyelids next, and could feel something wet licking his face. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Yoshi licking his face clean. He got startled by Yoshi, and fell out of his bed, screaming all the way. Yoshi started laughing as Sora hit his face on the floor.

"Sora fall down and go boom!" Yoshi laughed out loud.

Sora sat up, groaning lightly from the pain he received. He rubbed his tired face.

"Yoshi, have you ever heard of knocking?" groaned Sora tiredly.

"Yoshi knock but Sora no answer," Yoshi responded. "Sora big sleeper and loud snorer."

"Hey, I don't snore!" Sora said in protest. He then sat on his bed again.

He then notice Luigi entering the room with his arms crossed.

"Oh, yeah? Well I could hear you from outside," Luigi said as he entered the room. "It sounded like the midnight express flew through the hotel." Sora yawned, waking up from his restful sleep. "As much as you enjoy dreaming, kid, we need you to get moving! We have world traveling to do!"

Sora jumped out of bed, realizing he overslept, "Aw, man, I overslept again! Give me a few minutes to get ready!"

The two nodded and left the room. Sora quickly got his socks and shoes on. He then put his crown neckless and white gloves on. He then got his coat and ran outside where the others were waiting for him.

"Okay, about time," Luigi sighed. He then began to walk down the stairs with the others following him. "Let's head over to the plaza and pick up items before we head off to other worlds."

The group headed off into Delfino Plaza, where things have gotten back to normal ever since Sora took care of the heartless last night. There was less graffiti, but it was still hanging around. Luigi told Sora about the sludge on the ground and about his brother was being framed. Sora said he believed Luigi's words and would do what he could to help. Toadsworth observed the sludge on the ground, disappointed that Mario was still being framed.

"I hope we can find out who is framing Master Mario with all this graffiti." Toadsworth said hopefully.

"Me too." Peach said sadly.

The five continued to walk through the town until they arrived at Tom Nook's item shop. Luigi looked up and observed the sign.

"Hm, they should have some good items here." Luigi said.

"Hey, I remember this place! This is where I met Tom Nook." Sora said excitedly.

"Who Tom Nook?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"This racoon who helped me find you guys last night," Sora explained, his voice speeding up. "He sent me to Cid, who sent me to meet Leon, and then, Leon told me where you guys were."

Everyone looked at Sora for a moment in confusion. Luigi finally spoke up.

"Make sense to me." shrugged Luigi.

The trio walked into the store, leaving Toadsworth and Peach behind. Inside, the Nook Brothers saw them. They excitedly turned to their father who was behind the counter, putting things away.

"Dad! Dad!" the Nook brothers cried. "It's Sora!"

"Ah, Sora!" Nook said running up to the group. He then stopped to catch his breath, and the trio walked up to him. "Sorry, not as fast as I used to be. Cid told me everything. Glad to see you're heading off into other worlds."

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "By the way, thanks for all your help last night."

"Ah, don't mention it," Nook said with a chuckle. "As for right now, we have no customers, Rover's bringing lost people here again, Mr. Resetti is acting up, it's a crazy world, hm?" He then started to laugh.

"Sure is." Yoshi responded in agreement.

"So, boys, you need any help?" Nook asked the heros.

"Actually, Mr. Nook, we need to buy some items." Luigi said.

"Go ahead boys, take your time."

Sora and Luigi mostly shopped for items while Yoshi waited. Yoshi tried to eat some of Nook's item supplies, but Sora and Luigi held him back. They bought Potions, Ethers, and Elixirs. At the counter, Luigi put the items on the counter.

"After this, let's see if Cid has any items we could equip." Luigi told the boys.

"All right," Sora nodded to Luigi. He then took out his coin bag and turned to Nook. "How much do I owe ya?"

"Well, I did promise you a discount, so I would say about thirty gold coins." Nook said. Sora payed Nook the coins, and Luigi took the items and placed them in a bag. "Thanks, Sora. Good luck and come back now, hm?"

The trio said good-bye and headed outside to where Toadsworth and Peach greeted them.

"So are you all set?" Peach asked.

"Not yet," Luigi responded, lightly shaking his head. "We need to go see Cid first, then we'll head off."

The five headed to the accessory shop. On the way, Sora remembered the promise he made to Captain Olimar and Louie yesterday and told his friends about it. Yoshi was shocked upon hearing that, and the others felt sympathetic.

"That horrible!" Yoshi gasped in shock

"While we're out in other worlds, keep your eyes peeled for the Pikmin in the ground." Luigi told the boy. "The next time we come back to Isle Delfino, we'll return them to Captain Olimar."

"Well, I see I have much to write down in this big adventure," Toadsworth chortled to himself. He took out his journal and began writing in it.

Sora and the group arrived at Cid's shop and entered it. Inside, Sora and the gang met up with Cid.

"Hey, kid, glad to see you again." Cid said happily. "Anything you need, I got it."

After a few minutes of browsing, the group bought some Protect Rings, Fira Rings, and Badge Rings. At the counter, Sora payed Cid the money.

"Here you go, Cid." Sora said.

"Hey, I wish you luck kid," Cid said, showing his support . "But be careful, you never know when those heartless will strike."

"We learned that the hard way." Luigi said with a slight smile.

"Shall we get going then?" Sora excitedly asked Luigi. "I can't wait!"

"Okay, kid this is it." Luigi said to Sora. "Let's-a-go!"

The group said good-bye and they headed off to the docks. At the docks, the boat pulled up to them. Toadsworth took Peach's hands, knowing he was about to leave her for a short while.

"Princess, I'm going to think about you while I am journeying to other worlds," Toadsworth said. "Just stay out of trouble, and wash your hair before you go to bed."

"I will Toadsworth," Peach giggled, rolling her. She then turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "Please, be careful, guys. It's going to be dangerous out there. I'll miss you both."

"Don't worry, Peach." Luigi said with assurance. We'll straighten everything out."

"Yoshi, Luigi, and Sora, save day and make princess and everyone happy." Yoshi added with a smile.

"Thank you everyone. As long as I have faith in you all, I have nothing to fear." she said, smiling with hope. She then turned to Sora. "And Sora, I hope you find your friends."

"Thank you, your majesty" Sora said shaking her hand.

"Call me Peach." she giggled.

Sora chuckled, "Okay, Peach."

Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi hugged Peach good-bye and the four boarded the boat. They sat in their wooden seats, waiting for the boat to head to the airport. Finally, the boat made a loud whistling sound, and it slowly started to move. The four waved good-bye to Peach who watched them go. Sora looked down at the water, seeing it was clear and crystal. As he looked out at the water, he saw Kapp'n rowing in his boat. Sora waved hello to him and the turtle waved back. Upon the arrival at the airport the group noticed yellow police warning signs around the graffiti that Sora and the group saw last earlier

"We should have enough room for take off." Toadsworth said, observing the graffiti.

"Isn't there someway to get rid of this graffiti?" Sora asked Luigi curiously.

"We'll worry about that later," Luigi said. "Besides, I don't want the police to try and stop us again."

"Good point." Yoshi agreed.

The four got on board the ship and Sora look around at it. He was stunned by seeing this first class plane. He saw the giant television monitor in front of him, and the giant red, cushioned chairs.

"Well, this is it kid," Luigi announced to Sora.

"Wow! Talk about first class!" Sora shouted excitedly

He then sat in a red seat and continued looking around in amazement.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?" Toadsworth chortled. The group notice the seatbelt sign above them light up. They then put on their seatbelts. "Well, then, shall we take off, gentlemen?"

The pilot up front got the ok to start the engines. After a few moments, it ran down the runway, the wheels picking up more and more speed. Sora felt his body getting pushed back into his seats. He noticed Luigi and Yoshi's mouths were wide open, their cheeks flapping from the pressure.

"Hang on!"

The plane reached the end of runway and took off into the air. The four fell back into their seats as the plan left the world's atmosphere. From a distance, Peach saw the plan fly off. She clasped her hands together with a worried look, but she had to hope for the best, and she knew they would come back alive.

"Good luck." she said under her breath.

On board the ship. Sora got excited about the whole thing. He couldn't believe he was finally getting his wish to visit other worlds.

"It's like a dream come true," he said excitedly. "I've always wanted to see what other worlds were like."

"You seem like a big dreamer, kid," Luigi smiled. He then made a serous look "But remember, it's not all fun and games, we have to find my brother and your friends."

"Look out window, Sora!" Yoshi said.

Sora looked to his right and looked out the window. He saw the blackness of space and shining stars in the sky. They were amazing, he's never seen stars that close before. He was speechless as they twinkled brightly in his eyes.

"It's so beautiful," Sora said softly. "I wish Riku and Kairi could see this." he said to himself sadly.

Yoshi noticed a sad look on Sora's face, "Sora, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sora said, turning to Yoshi with a smile. He then turned back to Luigi, excitement filling him again. "Will we be there soon? I can't wait!"

"In about a half hour," Luigi said looking at the big monitor. "You're gonna have to keep your shirt on, kid."

"Master Sora, would you care to read my journal to keep you busy?" Toadsworth asked Sora.

"Uh, sure, why not?"

Toadsworth handed Sora his journal and Sora read the journal. Luigi and Yoshi also looked on with him. For the next half-hour, the group read many of the entries in the journal. It explained about many of the people they met, and their missions they had to fulfill. An half hour later, the group got ready for departure to their first world, as they approached a world that had a giant dome, with the words "Coliseum" written on it. Sora was excited as he was about to encounter his first new world.


	6. Gotta Kill 'em All

**Chapter V: Goto Kill Em All**

As the Toad Express landed on the surface of this new world, Sora and the gang looked out the window. Not too far from the plane, Sora saw a giant white dome with the words "Coliseum" on it.

"What is this place?" Sora asked

"It seems to be called Pokemon Coliseum." Toadsworth responded.

"Pokemon?" Yoshi asked.

"Our monitor says that Pokemon are special creatures, with special abilities." Toadsworth explained. "Pokemon trainers use the Pokemon to battle against wild or trained Pokemon using strategic moves."

"Wow, what a mouthful." Luigi commented.

"But what are we looking for here?" Sora asked Luigi.

"My brother and your friends, kid." Luigi said.

"Oh, yeah."

"I would go with you, but I must remain on board." Toadsworth said.

"But how will Toadsworth record stuff in journal?" Yoshi asked

"I'll have Lakitu accompany you to video everything you do and video the people you'll meet."

A turtle on a cloud, wearing glasses floated up to the group. He also held a camera on a fishing pole which was focused on Sora.

"Good afternoon, Lakitu bros, here reporting live from aboard the Toad Express." Lakitu announced to the camera narrating. "We are here to film the live action of your entire adventure throughout various worlds as Sora pursues his missing friends. As seasoned cameramen, we'll be shooting from the recommended angles provided by Toadsworth, but we will not get in the way of the many battles you will face. Anything you would like to say?"

"Sure. Hi mom!" Sora said waving into the camera.

"I'm on TV!" Luigi said.

"Yoshi big star!"

"For now, reporting live, this has been the Lakitu Bros."

Lakitu then exited the ship.

"Master Sora, be careful, for we don't know what's outside and Lakitu will be recording everything so I can see what you're doing." Toadsworth added

"Now remember Sora and Yoshi, we can't lead onto where we're from." Luigi said. "If we do, bad things will happen.

"Yoshi, keep that in mind." Yoshi said

"Me too." Sora added. "Okay guys, ready?"

Luigi and Yoshi nodded and they walked outside into their first world.

World Name: Pokemon Coliseum.

As the group ventured through a small town, they noticed small signs advertising a Tournament for humans and Pokemon to enter.

"Hey Sora, maybe we could find something out at the Coliseum." Luigi said.

"Dare to investigate?" Sora asked jokingly.

"Yoshi, dare! Yoshi, dare!" Yoshi excitedly said raising his hand.

"Then let's go!"

The group headed through the town and headed over to the Coliseum. During the journey they found Pikman in the ground and after pulling them out, Sora stored them in the little box. As they arrived outside the Coliseum, they noticed a public event going on. There were many games going on like a county fair. Sora also saw balloons of a yellow mouse face, with red cheeks. The three also stopped to buy something to eat, which made Yoshi extremely happy. As they sat down at a bench to eat, Sora noticed a machine with two pipes that curved up into a TV monitor. Two young men were in front of it talking.

"Hey, I'll trade you my Charmander for your, Abra." The boy said,

"Alright, let's trade!"

The two put a ball right below the pipe. The ball had red on the top and white on the bottom. The pipes sucked up the balls. Seconds later, a shadow of two creatures appeared on the monitor and they went to the other side of each other. The two balls fell from the pipes and the young men grabbed them.

"Alright, I got an Abra!" One of them said. "Good trade!"

The two shook hands and both headed out.

"So these Pokemon can be traded with other trainers." Sora stated.

"Pretty cool." Luigi added. As he took a bite, he bit his hand. "Ouch! Yoshi, did you eat my hotdog?"

"Yoshi didn't eat Luigi's hotdog!" Yoshi nervously said. "Yoshi swear!"

"Well it didn't get up and walk off by itself now did it?"

"Look!" Sora pointed. He pointed at a yellow duck with a little spot of black hair who was walking away with Luigi's hotdog. "There's your culprit." He added laughing.

"Hey, you! Come back here with my hotdog!" Luigi shouted at the duck.

"Psyduck!" The duck screamed running off with Luigi's hotdog.

"Oh, you're going down!" Luigi shouted as he chased after the Psyduck.

Sora and Yoshi both started laughing their heads off.

"Poor Luigi." Sora laughed jokingly.

Luigi chased the duck while he yelled at it in Italian, but the duck quickly got out of Luigi's sight and Luigi stopped to catch his breath. "Mama-mia!" He said out of breath.

Meanwhile, Sora wiped Yoshi's mouth getting crumbs off.

"All set, Yoshi?"

"Yoshi all set. Yoshi love when Luigi do funny things."

Luigi came back out of breath.

"Any luck?" Sora asked.

"How sad. Dinner got away with my lunch." Luigi groaned.

Sora and Yoshi just chuckled.

"Come, on!" Sora shouted. "Let's go inside!"

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi headed indoors to the Coliseum. Inside, they noticed a place called the Pokemon Center. The room had computers, a desk with a nurse with pink hair and next to her was a pink egg shaped creature. Many people handed the balls to the woman.

The group walked down a hallway until they approached a large door with the words "closed" on it. To the left of it, Sora noticed a man around his middle 40's putting up a sign. He wore a white lab coat, had tan pants, and white hair.

"Um, excuse me..." Sora began to say to the man.

"Oh, excellent timing!" The man said. He was still focused on putting the sign up though. "Do you think you can do me a favor? Call your Charizard out and have it move that pedestal over there for me."

"But-"

"There's no time! I have to get ready for the Pokemon Coliseum games!" The man said.

"Um, I guess so." Sora said with a shrug. Sora walked over to the pedestal and tried to push it, but had no luck. "Wow, this thing weighs a ton!" He exclaimed.

"You okay kid?" Luigi asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I couldn't move it!" Sora said rubbing his arm. He then walked back over to the man. "Excuse me sir. That thing is way to heavy to move!"

"What? To heavy?" The man exclaimed, slowly turning towards Sora. "You're a Pokemon trainer, you should know that..." The man then stopped and looked down at Sora. "Oh, my! You're not the person I'm looking for."

"Yeah, you figure?" Luigi asked sarcastically.

"My name is Professor Oak. A Pokemon researcher, and this is Pokemon Coliseum." The man explained. "Here Pokemon trainers come from all over the place to test their Pokemon in battle against other trainers. This year is the annual Pokemon Vs. Human competition, and I have a lot of things to do, so run along now I'm busy!" He tried to push Sora's group away but they wouldn't leave. "Why won't you leave?"

"Because Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi going to enter." Yoshi responded.

"You're going to enter?" Oak asked in surprise. "Ha! The three of you are too wimpy, you wouldn't last five seconds."

"Hey nerd, we're plenty strong." Luigi said angrily.

"Sora really strong, because he hero chosen by keyblade." Yoshi pointed at Sora.

"And we're heros too!" Luigi added.

"A hero and strong? That runt?" Oak exclaimed. He then broke into laughter.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora said angrily. "I fought a bunch of monsters!"

Oak then walks over to the pedestal that Sora tried to push.

"Listen, if you can't even move this." He then tried to push the pedestal and struggled. "You..can't...call...yourself...a hero!" He fell down and Sora's group started laughing. He breathed heavily and stood up, wiping his forehead. "Well, I guess it takes more then just strength to do it. I'll tell you what, let me see what you can do. Follow me." The group headed over to a room called the mini game room. "You two wait here, I must see how good the boy is."

"Aw!" Yoshi moaned.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." Sora told Yoshi. Sora followed Oak into a room with a bunch of holes on the ground.

"Here's how the game works." Oak begins to say. "Take this hammer and bash as many Diglets as you can with in 30 seconds."

"That's it?"

"That's it." Oak responded. Oak handed Sora a hammer and pressed a green button. "Go!"

Brown mole like creatures came out of the ground and Sora began bashing them. Sora missed some, and smashed some. He also hits the bonus ones gaining extra points. At the end of the 30 seconds the score ranked up to 1000 points.

"You beat the highest record!" Oak exclaimed

"Ha! That wasn't so hard!" Sora laughed.

"Not bad, young man." Oak said impressed. "But I think that was beginners luck! Now let's take it to a harder level!" Oak pulled a lever and the number went from a 5 to a 9. "Now, you have one minutes to bash as many Diglets as you can, but they're much faster this time."

"Oh, great." Sora moaned.

"Get ready, set, go!"

The Diglets came out again. Sora tried to bash them but he had a harder time hitting them. Luckily, he kept a focused mind and was able to hit a bunch ranking up the score. At the end the score ranked up to five thousand.

"What?" Oak exclaimed. "You beat another record? You're unbelievable!" The two returned outside with Sora feeling proud of himself. They all headed back to the lobby. "Well, you're not bad. As a matter of fact, you are very good, Sora."

"Ha! Thanks!" Sora laughed rubbing his head. "Looks like we're heading into the games."

"Sorry, no." Oak said singy-songy.

"What?" Sora shouted.

"How come?" Luigi added angrily.

"Listen, just because you wacked a couple of Diglets doesn't mean I'm letting you frolic your way into the games!" Oak answered.

"Come on!" Sora whined.

"Please?" Yoshi begged.

"Well, I'll give you this scroll I found." Oak then handed Sora a dark brown scroll.

"Hey, it's another scroll!" Luigi exclaimed. "Read what it says, kid!"

"Oh. storm that comes from the dead of night, fill me with the power of light." Sora began reading. "When I obtain this power please don't let me blunder as I am infused with the power of thunder!" Sora then shot a lightning bolt that zapped Luigi in the behind, making him jump. "Sorry Luigi."

"Be careful where you shoot that thunder spell!" Luigi shouted rubbing his behind

"I can't stand it! You three are really getting in the way! I have things to do!" Oak angrily said. "Officer Jenny!" A young police woman with light blue hair, a dark blue uniform with a dress walked over to the group. "Would you please escort these three out of this building?"

"Yes, sir!" Jenny said giving a salute to Oak. She then pushed Sora and his group out of the area "Okay you three, shows over, go home!"

"Wait!" Sora said pushing back.

Seconds later, Jenny shoved Sora out the door and threw Luigi and Yoshi at him.

"Now don't try to bother the Professor again! Why don't you just go home kid?" Jenny said. Jenny then walked back into the building. Sora made a disappointed look.

"It okay, Sora." Yoshi said softly, patting Sora comfortingly on the back

"Thanks Yoshi, but I'm alright." Sora smiled turning to Yoshi.

"They haven't even seen what you can do kid." Luigi said to Sora. "They're missing out on one tough little guy who's tougher then my Mama-mia's spaghetti dish." He then noticed Sora and Yoshi looking at him funny. "Never mind. But seriously if we're not wanted here, then so be it"

"You are right, Luigi!" Sora said standing up with confidence. "Come, on! Let's go!"

The group headed off back through the town towards the Toad Express when they heard a voice coming from an ally.

"Well, I guess that lab geek is it a bit stubborn wouldn't you say?" Called a male voice. The group nervously turned to see Giovanni appear out from behind the shadows.

"Who are you?" Luigi asked Giovanni.

"Let's just say I'm a friend." Giovanni answered back with a sinister smirk. "So you want to enter the Coliseum games right?

"Yeah!" Sora said. "But how did you-"

"I believe I have a way of getting you in." Giovanni said as he went through his pocket. He then pulled out a pass and hands it to Sora.

"You're giving this to us?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Yes, consider it a gift."

Sora then turned to his group saying excitedly. "It's a pass to enter the games!"

"Cool!' Yoshi added.

"Thanks mister-" Sora then turned back to the shadows to see that nobody there. "That's odd, wasn't he here a minute ago?"

"That guy is very suspicious to me." Luigi said

"Yeah, why would he just give us a pass?" Sora added

"Yoshi no care! Yoshi, want to play game now!"

Yoshi headed back towards the coliseum with the others following as Giovanni hid out in the back of the ally.

"Perfect! All goes according to plan." He then laughed maniacally and walked off.

Back at the Coliseum, Oak was putting the finishing touches on his rule list and stepped off the platform wiping his forehead.

"Finally, I'm done!" He then turned noticing our heros standing right before him. "Oh, no! Not again!" He groaned. "I guess getting the boot by Officer Jenny didn't help, but now I'm going to band you from entering a working area."

"Not this time!" Luigi laughed. "Check this out!"

Luigi then handed the tournament pass to Oak who looked over it.

"What?" Oak exclaimed. "Where on earth did you get this pass?"

"Well..." Yoshi began.

"It doesn't matter where we got it from!" Sora interrupted Yoshi. "The pass is suppose to gain us access to the games and what matters is that we can enter them now, right?"

"Fine, you win." Oak groaned. The three heros cheered for joy. "But I would like to start you off slow, so you'll be entering the Preliminary cup."

"We're up for the challenge!" Sora proudly said.

"But I suggest reading the rules first." Oak said.

The three walked up to the rule board and read it.

"No killing, no use of summons, fight with everything you've got, winner goes on to the next round, loser is out of that cup." Luigi said reading the rules.

"The first match is starting in five minutes, so I suggest getting ready for it and be carful. Some weird creatures have entered it and I just hope things don't get out of hand." Oak said.

"Yoshi be careful." Yoshi said with a nod.

The three made their way towards the arena, where a crowd cheered them as they came out onto the arena. The bottom of the arena looked like a round white ball on the ground.

"Wow, look at all the people out here." Sora said looking around.

"What do you think? Can we really do it?" Luigi asked

"Of course we can!" Sora said with confidence. "If we work together, we'll kick some serious butt!"

A man walked in holding up a green flag and red flag.

"May both opponents enter the ring!" The man announced.

On the other side of the ring, shadows and soldier heartless ran into the ring.

"Heartless!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Well kid, it looks like the heartless entered to get a piece of you." Luigi said to Sora.

"No problem!" Sora smirked while getting his keyblade out. "We can take em! Let's do it!"

"Let the match begin!" The man announced.

The heartless ran at our heros and the group jumped out of the way. Two solders clashed their claws with Sora's keyblade and then he knocked them aside. They spun at Sora with a tornado move but Sora smacked on his dodge roll badge and rolled out of the way and countered slashed them destroying them.

"Come on, I was just getting started."

Luigi sucked up a few shadows and blasted them into other heartless. He also shot the new thunder spell at them, destroying some. Yoshi ate some and spat some back at others. The group continued the battle until non were left. The man then lifted the red flag to Sora's group.

"Team Shadow is unable to battle! Victory goes to Team Sora!"

The audience cheered as Sora and his friends celebrate in victory. Oak looks on impressed.

"Well, I truly have underestimated him." Oak said smiling.

Seconds later, the group met up with Oak during their five minute break.

"Told you! Yoshi good!" Yoshi said proudly.

"Yes, I truly have under estimated you." Oak said with a smile. "In all my years I have never seen a fighter of your calabur, Sora. You might even be strong enough to fight a Pokemon! So luckily you came to me for guidance." He added laughing.

As Oak continued talking, Sora and his friends turned to notice a young man walking slowly by them. He wore a metal piece of armor around his neck and wrist. He wore brown boots and on his right hand, he had a long yellow type claw. He had spike blonde hair and held a giant sword rapped up in bandages. He looked at Sora, who looked back. For a second they stared, but then the man turned away and left the arena.

"Who that?" Yoshi asked Oak.

"Hm, he's a very strange young man." Oak responded. "Before your arrival, he was devastating all of his opponents in the matches."

"From the look in eyes, I think he entered the games for some dark reason." Sora said observing the man leaving. "Whatever reason, we should not worry about it now. We still have a game to win!"

"Who knows. Maybe you'll end up facing him." Oak said. "But for now, get back out there and show them what you're made of!"

Sora nodded and he and his friends headed back out into the arena.

"Let the match begin!"

As the next match began, the group found themselves up against some new comers. These heartless were called "Red and Blue Space Pirates" Giant dragon type creatures with guns that fired magic spells. Red shot fire and blue shot ice. They were very evasive and countered with their magic.

"Wow, these guys are fast!" Luigi exclaimed.

With the help of his dodge roll badge, Sora was able to sneak up behind them and destroy them with his keyblade. Yoshi used a move called "Egg Roll" which turned him turn into an egg and made him roll at his opponents, knocking them down. Finally, Team Shadow 2 was completely beaten.

"Team Sora wins!" The man said holding up a flag to Sora's group.

The audience cheered again as Sora's group cheered as well.

"We won!" Sora shouted.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered

Five seconds later they met up with Oak again.

"I've never seen such skill and technique." Oak said. "Too bad Ash isn't here to see all this."

"Who's Ash?" Sora asked.

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet town." Oak responded. "A Pokemon trainer about your age. He's out to become a Pokemon master by defeating the toughest trainers and Gym leaders. Too bad he's battling my grandson Gary Oak in another arena, or else he would be here watching your battles, Sora."

"Would Team Sora please report to the arena for the next match?" The PTA announcer said.

"Hey, we better get back!" Luigi said. "Or else we'll be disqualified!"

The group left and headed to the next few rounds. During the rounds Sora and co squared off against more new comers. Power Wilds, blue monkey heartless. Green and Yellow Space Pirates, yellow dealt lightning while green used healing type magic. To stop the healers, Sora and crew took them out first and then dealt with the remaining heartless. Using the same tactics they made it to the Semi-Finals.

"Team Sora is now in the Semi-Final battle!" The announcer announced.

"This is it kid." Luigi said to Sora. "If we win this one, we'll make it to the final match."

"But who Sora, Yoshi, and Luigi facing in final?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"I have a pretty good hunch on who it is." Sora said.

Unknown to anybody, two figures were watching the battle behind the gates of the coliseum. The two were Giovanni and the blonde haired man. Giovanni was in his seat petting his Pokemon Persian.

"That little brat is going to be your next opponent!" Giovanni told the young man. "I want you to destroy him!"

"So, the great leader of Team Rocket is afraid of a kid?" The man said with an evil chuckle. "Listen, I would like to help you, but remember that my contract says-

"I'm the one who wrote the contract, you think I don't know?" Giovanni snapped. "I know it says you're only required to destroy Ash Ketchum in this tournament and take his Pikachu, but in order to do so, you've got to beat that kid first. Besides, this tournament is just for fun so why don't you lighten up? I know you're here for a reason but try to relax, huh?" The man then stood up and leaves. "Well, I must admit, he's has a bit of an attitude problem but he is still a sucker to my plan."

In the shadows three sinister laughs could be heard

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends faced off against the final seed of heartless including the new Large Body heartless. And some Boos were in there giggling

"It's the Boos!" Luigi cried.

"What are Boos?" Sora asked Luigi.

"Boo's are ghosts that can be very sneaky, and they're very shy when you look at them. Just leave it to me and the P 3000!"

"Okay, Yoshi will take the other heartless and I'll take this big guy!" Sora said to his comrades.

"Yoshi ready to rumble!"

"Let the match begin!"

Sora's group charged at the heartless.

"On, no! It's the Poltergust 3000!" The Boos screamed. "RUN!"

The Boos tried to fly away but Luigi sucked them all in. Yoshi took care of the Space Pirate heartless, while Sora took on Large Body. Sora discovered that attacks to the body wouldn't work, so he snuck behind it and slashed it. The group continued their battle plans until they beat the heartless.

"Team Big One is unable to continue! Victory goes to Team Sora!" The referee announced.

The group cheered again and they headed off to meet with Oak.

"Wow, Sora! You made it to the finals!" Oak said. "You ready for it?"

"Yes, sir!" Sora nodded.

"This match begins in ten minutes, so I suggest preparing." Oak said.

"Will, do." Yoshi said.

Meanwhile at another part of the Coliseum, in another arena a Pokemon battle was going on. A crowd was cheering as two young men were in the middle of the arena. The young man on the left had brown spike hair that stood up more unlike Sora's. He wore a purple shirt, black pants and brown shoes. Around his neck was a brown string neckless, with a Pokeball under it. In front of him was a giant turtle with a brown shell and it had blue skin and giant tanks on it's shoulders.

"Give up Ashy-boy!" The boy known as Gary Oak said. "You only have one Pokemon left, and my Blastoise is going to tear your remaining Pokemon apart!"

The other young man across from Gary wore a red and white cap. He also had jeans on, a black t-shirt, blue t-jacket, and white shoes. Next to him was a little yellow mouse with red cheeks and a tail shaped like a thunder bolt.

"I'm not done yet, Gary!" Ash shouted. He then turned towards the little yellow mouse "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" The mouse said with a nod. It then ran into the ring.

"Ha! That runty little Pikachu of yours isn't going to do much!" Gary said laughing. "Blastoise attack with Hydro Pump!"

"Blastoise!" The turtle said firing water out of his tanks.

"Pikachu! Use quick-attack!" Ash shouted to his Pokemon.

Pikachu dodged the blasts and rammed into Blastoise's stomach.

"No way!" Gary shouted.

"Now use Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted.

"Piiiiiikachu!" Pikachu shouted firing a Thunder type attack at Blastoise. It shocked the Blastoise and it fell to the ground.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" The announcer said. The audience cheered as Ash hugged his Pikachu cheering.

"Return Blastoise!" Gary said using a magic beam to return the Blastoise to the ball. "You did great."

"Great job Pikachu!" Ash said holding his Pokemon.

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"Too bad Misty and Brock had to watch over their gyms or else they would've been here, cheering me on right now." Ash said. He then turned towards his rival. "I finally beat you Gary!"

"Well Ashy-boy, you've gotten better and my days as a trainer are done. I'm going to retire and be come a researcher like gramps." Gary announced. "Good luck winning the Johto competition. Smell ya later!" Gary then left the arena.

"That Gary." Ash said rolling his eyes with a chuckle. "Always full of surprises. Right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled with a nod.

"Hey Pikachu, let's go see that Human Vs. Pokemon competition." Ash said. "It will give us time before the next match."

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's head and they headed off to the other side of the arena. Meanwhile, Sora and his friends entered the ring ready to face their final opponent.

"Listen guys, our next opponent isn't going to be easy." Sora explained. "So we got to stick together."

"No problem kid." Luigi said. "We'll beat this guy faster then you can say Lasagna five times fast."

Sora and Yoshi just rolled their eyes and then they turned to see the young man with the giant sword entering the ring.

"That our opponent?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"It's been nice knowing you kid." Luigi said nervously. He begun to leave but Yoshi stuck his tongue out and pulled him back in. "Hey!"

"Luigi no leave! Luigi stay to help Sora!" Yoshi said angrily.

"Kid, did you get a chance to see the size of that sword?" Luigi gulped. "We'll be creamed!"

"Don't worry." Sora said. "As long as we stick together, not even this guy can beat us."

"The match will begin in thirty seconds." The announcer said.

"Before we begin, I'd like to know who you are." Sora demanded.

"My name is Cloud Strife." The man said. "I'm an ex-member of a fighting group known as SOLDIER."

"Soldier? Where Cloud's red outfit and funny hat?" Yoshi asked.

"Not that kind of soldier." Cloud said rolling his eyes. "Just to make things short, I'm here to destroy you."

"Did you hear that?" Luigi screamed in fear. "He wants to destroy us! Nice knowing you two! Bye!"

"Hold on!" Sora said to Luigi. "Why?"

"That's none of your concern, but I suggest you save yourself by surrendering this match." Cloud offered. "My powers are too great, there's no point in fighting weaklings."

"You heard the man, let's get out of here." Luigi said beginning to leave.

"No way!" Sora shouted. "We're not surrendering to you!" He then got his keyblade ready "Ever! Because we're not weak and we're going to prove it!"

"I was hoping he wouldn't say that." Luigi groaned turning back to the group.

"Well, either you're very brave or very foolish." Cloud said. "But either way, it doesn't matter for you will soon lose this match."

"Let the match begin!" The man with the flags shouted.

The three heros charged at Cloud, while he watched them come.

"Pathetic." Cloud smirked. He ran at the group and zoomed past them and knocked all three of them down with a spin of his sword.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

"This guy fast!" Yoshi added.

Sora got back up and clashed his keyblade with Cloud. Sora jumped back and tried to bring his keyblade down but Cloud moved out of the way and tripped him. Yoshi tried to throw eggs at Cloud, but he spun his sword blocking all the attacks. Luigi tried to shoot a fire spell, but Cloud zoomed past him and knocked him out with his sword.

"Luigi!" Sora and Yoshi cried.

Yoshi ran at Cloud but Cloud knocked him aside. Sora got angry and ran fast at Cloud and rammed him to the ground while not looking. Cloud stood up and brushed himself off.

"Not bad kid." Cloud smirked. "You're stronger then you look, but the warm up is over."

Cloud swiped at Sora and Sora jumped over the attack and brought his keyblade down and Cloud blocked it. The force was so strong that the entire arena started to shake.

"What power!" Oak exclaimed holding onto a metal poll.

"It's can't be!" Cloud said to himself. "He's rivaling my power!"

The two jumped back and charged again. The two got into a violent sword fight, clashing and dodging their attacks. Luigi and Yoshi both sat up weakly and saw the two battling.

"Sora, good." Yoshi said weakly impressed.

"Get him good, kid!" Luigi added.

Sora kicked Cloud in the stomach and Cloud countered with a slice to the hip. Sora jumped back and charged at Cloud again and they both clashed again with electricity surrounding them.

"I...can't...let...you...destroy...me!" Sora shouted. He pushed Cloud back and kicked him in the chest and knocked him down.

Cloud gets up and quickly knocked the keyblade out of Sora's hand. Sora quickly dodged the attack and slid across the floor and grabbed his keyblade, just in time to clash with Cloud's sword again. Sora did a double kick and knocked Cloud off and got up and slashes rapidly at him. Cloud jumped back and breathed heavily.

"Enough! I shall now send you to oblivion!" Cloud shouted.

Yellow electricity surrounded Cloud and a giant black wing appeared on his back.

"Okay, this is in the category of not good." Sora said nervously. Cloud flew at Sora and Sora tried to kick him but when he did it, it had no effect. "It had no effect!"

"Now die!"

Cloud began rapidly slashing him and Sora got beaten up and fell back. Cloud lost his power from the attack and began breathing just as hard as Sora.

"Pant..you're...better...then...I...thought." Sora gasped.

"I...won't...let...you...win." Cloud said weakly.

"This match must end now!" Oak said to the judge. "This battle has gone on long enough! At this rate they could end up killing each other!"

Sora then looked up and notices something and his mouth widened.

"Cloud, look out behind you!"

"What?"

Cloud turned and then a giant robot foot stepped on top of him. The crowd screamed and left the arena. The foot belonged to a giant orange mouse robot. It began shooting electricity all around. Meanwhile, Giovanni chuckled and leaves the arena.

"Well accidents are meant to happen." He said chuckling sinisterly.

Yoshi and Luigi ran over to Sora and helped him up.

"Are you okay, kid?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said weakly.

"Here, drink my left over potion." Luigi said putting a bottle up to Sora's mouth.

"Is Sora okay?" Yoshi asked concerned to Sora.

"I'm better now but what is that thing?" Sora asked looking up at the mouse.

The giant mouse was about to bring it's foot down on Cloud again, but a orange dragon quickly flew in and grabbed Cloud and flew back down holding him in it's arms.

"Good work, Charizard!" Called a voice.

Everyone turned to see Ash and Pikachu entering the arena.

"Ash! Thank goodness you've come!" Oak said happily.

"Quicky Professor, get everyone out of here!" Ash shouted.

"Aren't you coming?" Oak asked.

"Leave this guy to me. My Pokemon will take care of them!" Ash answered.

Oak, Luigi, and Yoshi ran for it while Sora stayed behind wondering if Ash and Cloud would be alright.

"Come on kid!" Luigi shouted to Sora.

Sora quickly made a run for it, while Ash ran over to his Charizard and got Cloud on his back and put him on the bleachers and command his Charizard to attack the giant mouse. Meanwhile, the group made it back inside the Coliseum and everyone breathed hard.

"You guys alright?" Sora asked everyone else

"We're fine, but what was that thing?" Luigi also asked.

"It's a robotic version of a Raichu." Oak answered. "I bet Giovanni is behind this."

"Who that?" Yoshi asked.

"He's the leader of a notorious group of criminals and he tries to steal rare Pokemon." Oak explained. "And if you look to your right you'll see a wanted picture of him."

The group looked to the right and gasped in horror upon seeing the wanted poster.

"It's that guy who gave us the pass." Luigi said in shocked.

"We've been tricked." Sora said angrily. "That creep tricked us to enter in order face Cloud and run into that trap."

"What we do?" Yoshi asked.

"One thing to do. Undo our wrongs and face that thing!" Sora said with confidants.

"Kid are you crazy?" Oak said in shock. "That thing can't be beaten by human hands!"

"Listen, you can find out if we are hero material or not." Sora said. "This is our chance to prove it and we will stop that thing!"

"If that is your wish, then go Sora." Oak said with a sigh. "Knock em dead kid!"

Sora nodded and he and his friends head back into the arena to where the battle is going on. Ash's Charizard is down and Ash gets worried.

"Oh, no! Charizard!" Ash cried. He then turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!"

"Piiikachu!"

Pikachu shot a bolt at the Raichu robot and it had no effect.

"It didn't work!" Ash shouted angrily. Then a hand with a glove came out of the Raichu chest and grabbed Pikachu. "Pikachu!"

"Pika! Pi!" Pikachu cried.

The robot took the hand inside and Ash got angry.

"Give me back my Pikachu!" Ash demanded angrily punching and kicking the robot's foot.

The robot tried to stomp on Ash, but Sora quickly dived in and rescued him just in time.

"You okay Ash?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine, but who are you?"

"Look!" Yoshi pointed. The group looked up to see Pikachu in a glass container.

"Pikachu, you're okay!" Ash said happily. "Use thunder to escape!"

Pikachu tried to use thunder but the attack failed and he got weaker.

"It didn't work." Luigi said in disappointment.

All of a sudden the room got completely dark and a spotlight appeared above the robot's head and two figures started to appear.

"Wait, someone is coming out." Sora said.

The two figures then reveal themselves. One was a young man who had long purple hair and wore a white long sleeved shirt with the letter "R" printed on it, white pants, purple rubber boots and gloves. The other one was a yong woman who had very long red hair, a white shirt with the same "R", a white skirt, long gloves and boots.

"Oh, no! Not them!" Ash exclaimed.

"Prepare for trouble..." The woman said.

"Make it double..." The man said.

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To untie all peoples with in our nation..."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

"Jesse..." The woman said.

"James..." The man said.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light..."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

Then a little cat jumped in the middle of them with a golden coin on it's head.

"Meowth, that's right!"

A little blue creature with it's eyes shut tight also appeared holding it's hand up.

"Wobbuffet!"

After that, the lights came back on and Sora and his group looked at each other and broke into laughter.

"Hey, what's so funny?" James asked in anger.

"That was the most corniest thing I've ever seen." Luigi laughed.

"How dare you make fun of our motto!" Jesse said angrily.

"Don't under estimate these guys!" Ash told Sora. "They can be very clever and tricky." He then turned back towards Team Rocket. "Team Rocket, let my Pikachu go!"

"Sorry, twerp." Meowth said. "But dis is a present for da boss."

"And we'll also destroy the twerp who holds the key." James added.

Meowth then scratched James's face.

"Be quite, we can't let dat kid know anything!" Meowth hissed.

"You probably work for a man named Giovanni, don't you?" Sora shouted.

"The boss?" James asked in confusion.

Jesse then bonked James over the head with a hammer.

"Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?" Jesse angrily said hitting James's head.

"Yes ma'am." James said dazed rubbing his head.

"Now, twerp it's time for you to say good-bye to your Pikachu." Meowth laughed.

"Go Ash!" Sora said getting his keyblade out. The others got ready as well. "We'll deal with Team Rocket while you get Cloud and Charizard out of here. I promise I'll rescue your Pikachu."

"Will you be alright?" Ash asked Sora. Sora nods and Ash grabbed Cloud and took his Pokeball out. "Charizard return!" A red beam hit Charizard sending him back into the ball.

Oak watched as Ash ran by him with Cloud.

"Now let's deal with these twerps." James said.

"We won't let you win Team Rocket." Sora shouted.

"Yoshi help beat bad guys!"

"Come on, let's get these brats out of da way and then go to da boss and give him Pikachu. I'll be top cat again." Meowth said.

The three headed into the machine and started up the power.

"Kid, here's a piece of advise; ATTACK!" Oak shouted.

The battle began at the robot fired electric thunder attacks at the group. Sora quickly ran left to avoid them, while Yoshi ran right. Luigi got zapped and fell down. He got back up and ran but he's slower then Sora and Yoshi because of the P 3000 caused extra weight. So he keeps getting zapped in the behind.

"Fried plumber anyone?" James laughed in his girly way.

"Hang on, Luigi!" Yoshi shouted. "Yoshi coming!" Yoshi quickly ran over to Luigi. "Quick, get on Yoshi's back!"

Luigi then jumped on Yoshi's back and Yoshi dodged the attacks. Luigi fired a fire spell at the robot but it had no effect.

"Darn!" Luigi said in anger.

He tried a thunder spell from the P 3000 but it still had no effect.

"Ha! Doesn't he realize dat our Raichu robot is immune to magic!" Meowth laughed. "And with Pikachu's thunder power, we get even stronger."

"Let's finish these twerps." Jesse said. The alarm then started sounding off "Huh?"

"What's going on?" James asked nervously.

Meowth checked the computer monitor and gasped saying. "Da right foot has been damaged!"

"How?" Jesse said in shock. She looked out the right window and looked down to see Sora stabbing it with his keyblade. "Hey you, keep away from there!" She then turned back to James and Meowth "Quick you idiots, do something!"

"I'll use a shock wave attack!" James said hitting a button.

The robot stomped it's left foot causing Sora to lose his balance.

"Whoa!" Sora shouted.

He quickly jumped back and ran to his group.

"What do we do?" Luigi panicked. "Even after that attack we're getting nowhere!"

"Our best bet is to take out the source, the control room!" Sora shouted. "But, how do we reach it?"

"Yoshi eat Sora and spit Sora at bad guys!"

"I may not like it." Sora began to say. "But I have to do it! This is our last chance! "

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and swallowed Sora whole and then spats him out sending him right at the glass window of the robot.

"Uh, Jesse, James..." Meowth said.

"Quite Meowth!" James interrupted with a snap. "Don't you know we're about to win?"

"But look out the window!" Meowth said nervously.

The two looked out the window and saw Sora flying at him with a flying kick. Team Rocket screamed and Sora broke down the window and knocked Team Rocket over.

"I'm coming Pikachu!" Sora said running to the glass container.

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"Not so fast twerp!" James said throwing a ball. "Go Victreebel!"

A giant yellow creature in the shape of a bell with a stem on it's head came out. But instead of attacking Sora, it puts it's mouth on top of James's head and James struggled to get free and screamed like a little girl. Jesse and Meowth roll their eyes.

"Arbok! Head butt that brat!" Jesse shouted throwing a ball.

A giant purple Cobra came out and flew at Sora.

"Arbok!" The Cobra said.

"Huh?" Sora said turning.

Arbok hit Sora in the head and Sora crashed into the wall.

"Strangle him!" Jesse commanded. Arbok put it's tail around Sora's neck and began choking him. Sora tried to undo the hold but it was too strong. "Now finish it with poison sting!"

Arbok was about to bite Sora on the neck, but thinking quickly Sora bit the snake's tail first causing it to scream in pain. Sora got up and slashed Arbok and crashed into a wall. Sora ran and broke the container freeing Pikachu.

"No!" Meowth shouted. "Our plans are ruined!"

"Not yet there not!" James said throwing a ball. "Go Weezing!"

A giant two headed purple floating round creature came out.

"Weezing!" It said.

"Use smog to blind that brat!" James shouted.

Weezing fired a powerful smog out which covers the room causing Sora to cough.

"I..can't...see!" Sora coughed.

"We got him now!" Team Rocket said together. Just then all the air got sucked out of the window and the room cleared. "Huh?"

Everyone turned to see Luigi sucking up the air with the P 3000 and Yoshi next to him.

"Yoshi! Luigi!" Sora cried out. "You're here!"

"Hey, now who said Sora could start without Yoshi?" Yoshi giggled.

"Quick Weezing, get rid of those twerps!" James shouted.

Weezing was about to attack when all of a sudden Yoshi grabbed it with his's tongue and ate it.

"Ew, Weezing no taste good! "Yoshi said in disgust.

Yoshi spat Weezing out and hit Team Rocket knocking them all down.

"Now's your chance kid!" Luigi called to Sora.

Sora quickly took his keyblade out and stabbed the control panels and they began sparking and the alarm sounded with all the monitors saying "Malfunction"

"No!" Meowth screamed. "What have you done?"

"Game over Team Rocket!" Sora said with a smirk.

"Quicky kid! This place is going to blow! Let's go!" Luigi shouted.

"Okay!" Sora nodded.

Luigi got on Yoshi's back and Pikachu and Sora quickly jumped off the robot and ran. The robot began sparking and going haywire. Team Rocket screamed and ran around panicking. Yoshi and Luigi both made it down and ran for it. Sora turned around and fired a Thunder Shot at the Robot, causing more damage to it and shocking Team Rocket. The robot exploded and Team Rocket went flying.

"We always lose!" Jesse whined.

"Even in a Video Game parody!" Meowth added.

"Well I guess..." James cried.

"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket shouted together as the flew off into the distance.

A star twinkled from where Team Rocket was going flying and Wobbuffet shouted his name in the distance.

Several minutes later back at the lobby, Officer Jenny presented medals to Sora and his crew.

"In honor of your brave work defeating those crooks and saving the Coliseum, we present you with these metal of honors." Jenny said putting a metal around our heros necks. Ash, Oak and Pikachu looked on smiling. Sora looked down at his metal and smiles while Yoshi blushed. "Good job and by request from Professor Oak, you have full rights to enter the games junior heros. Thank you for everything." She saluted Sora's group and left.

"We did it!" Sora cheered.

"We're in the games!" Luigi cheered. He then stopped and turned to Oak with an angry look. "What did she mean by junior heros?"

"You still got a lot to learn about what it takes to be a true hero." Oak said. "It takes time to become one and once you understand what it takes, you'll know you truly are one."

"But how we do it?" Yoshi asked Ash.

"It takes time and you'll have to find out how." Ash explained petting Yoshi's head. "Just the way me and Pikachu did. Right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"Okay, we'll start proving what we can do in the games!" Sora said.

"That robot really messed up the stadium, so the games won't be for awhile." Oak said sadly "We got to clean the mess up from the last battle first. But if you give me a phone number, I could call you and let you know."

Luigi gave Oak the phone number for the Toad Express. Then the PTA went on.

"Attention! Would Ash Ketchum please report to A-3 for his next match?" The PTA announced.

"Oh, no!" Ash exclaimed. "I'm going to be late for my match! Come on Pikachu and it was nice meeting you all."

"Before you go Ash, could you answer one quick question?" Sora asked stopping him.

"What's that Sora?"

"What ever happened to the blonde man with spiky hair?"

"A few minutes into your battle, he got up and walked out without saying a word." Ash answered.

"I wonder if he's alright." Sora said.

"I'm sure he's fine kid." Luigi said. "Remember, that he has his own path and we have ours. It's best not to get in the way."

"You're right, Luigi." Sora smiled. "Let's go. We'll be back."

The group said good-bye and left.

"Still hard to imagine that three non-Pokemon defeated Team Rocket." Oak said in disbelief.

"To tell you the truth Professor, I purposely let them take Pikachu so he could weaken the robot making it easier for Sora to beat." Ash whispered.

"You're a tricky one." Oak chuckled. "I'll keep it a secret."

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends left the Coliseum and upon exiting they saw that the festival has ended. Sora then gasped happily as he saw Cloud sitting on a bench.

"Cloud!" Sora shouted. He didn't respond. Sora ran over to him and the others followed. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked concerned.

At first Luigi and Yoshi backed up slowly sensing Cloud might attack. But Cloud just looked up at the group.

"I'm fine." He said in a low tone. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It okay." Yoshi smiled.

"Still can't believe he would betray me like that." Cloud muttered to himself.

"So why did you join Team Rocket anyway?" Sora asked.

Cloud then stood up sighing.

"I'm looking for someone." Cloud responded. "Giovanni promised he would help me if I destroyed you and captured Ash's Pikachu. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I lost my light, I was lost in the darkness."

"I'm sure you'll find it again." Sora responded. "I'm searching too."

"For your light?" Cloud asked. Sora nods. "Well kid, our paths maybe different but our goals are the same." He then went through his pocket and took out a badge and put it in Sora's hand. "Keep this and don't lose sight of it."

Cloud then walked away.

"Hey, how about a rematch sometime? We've never finished our battle!" Sora called to Cloud. "And no dark powers involved, fair and square, what do you say?"

"Hm, maybe we will fight again, but for now I'll pass." Cloud said walking away.

"Come on kid." Luigi said. "We have things to do in a short time."

"Right!" Sora nodded. "Let's go!"

The group walked through town and boarded the ship with Toadsworth running up to greet them.

"Master Sora!" Toadsworth said. "Glad to see everything turned out okay."

"Well, we'll be back someday to battle in the games." Sora said.

The Toad Express got ready for take off as Sora and the group sat down in their seats.

"According to our calculations, the next world will be in an hour." Toadsworth announced.

"Okay, so what we do?" Yoshi asked.

"Want to hear about the time I saved the Waffle Kingdom?" Luigi asked Sora.

"No, not that story again!" Toadsworth shouted covering his ears.

The plane took off into space at super fast speed. Meanwhile, back at the Coliseum Giovanni walked out and looked at the gates of it.

"Curse that Ash Ketchum!" Giovanni yelled in anger. "He always ruins my plans and saves his darn Pikachu!" He rammed his fist into the wall.

Jesse, James, and Meowth walked out and got on their hands and knees begging.

"Please boss, give us one more chance!" James begged in his girly tone.

"You three have failed me for the last time!" Giovanni yelled in rage.

"Please boss, don't do this to us?" Jesse begged. "We promise we'll get them next time."

Giovanni was about to point his finger at them and then stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, okay calm down." He said to himself in a relaxed tone. "Listen up you three, this is your last chance to set things right. I'll let Ash and that twerp with the key compete with each other. So at the next games, we'll take care of both of them.

"You're da best boss!" Meowth cheered.

All of a sudden Bowser appeared behind Team Rocket. Jesse, James and Meowth cowered behind Giovanni, while Giovanni remained still.

"I didn't ask you to come here lizard boy." Giovanni said to Bowser. "Stay out of this! You're not needed!"

"Your stubbornness will get you no where fast killing that brat you worm!" Bowser growled. "But if that's what your wish, then fine. Fight till you have no breath left inside of you! I don't care!"

Bowser went through a dark portal and left.

"Hm, one day I'm going to kick that tub of lard in the shin." Giovanni said to himself.


	7. The Crystal Coconuts in the Jungle Part ...

**Chapter VI: The Crystal Coconuts in the Jungle**

For an hour, Luigi has gone on talking about how he had to go to the Waffle Kingdom to save a beautiful princess using a magic compass. His stories were pretty dull, so Yoshi and Toadsworth had fallen asleep. Sora however was looking out the window and thinking about Riku and Kairi.

"_It's been the first world, but we haven't seen Riku or Kairi._" Sora thought to himself. "_I really hope they're okay._"

Sora had a flashback of him winning the race against Riku. Riku and him having a high five and Riku leaving. Kairi then walked up to Sora and kissed him on the cheek. Sora then woke up from his day dream and sniffled a bit. He turned around to notice everyone looking at him.

"You okay kid?" Luigi asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Sora smiled.

"You sure?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, I'm worried about my friends." Sora sadly said looking down.

Yoshi walked over to Sora and took his hands.

"Sora, no be sad." Yoshi said softly. "Yoshi and Luigi help Sora find friends."

"Yeah, all for one and one for all." Luigi said. "Nothing can stop us from finding my brother and your friends! Not even the heartless. Besides, it's only the first world, lighten up Sora."

"Okay, I'll try." Sora smiled looking up at Luigi.

Yoshi licked Sora's face and Sora chuckles.

"Hey, we're approaching a world!" Toadsworth announced looking at the monitor.

The group turned to their windows and looked out to see a world that looked like a big jungle.

"It a jungle!" Yoshi said. Yoshi then turned to Luigi. "Maybe, Mario in jungle swinging on trees. Yoshi love swinging on trees, they go fast!"

Sora just chuckled again and Luigi groaned.

"No way!" Luigi responded nervously. "In a place like that? I don't think so! My brother wouldn't go there! He hates snakes, bugs, and giant apes."

"But Master Luigi, you told me that you were afraid of all of those things." Toadsworth said. "Not Master Mario."

"What are you talking about?" Luigi lied nervously. "I am not! Besides, I doubt he's there. So let's move on! "

"Wait!" Sora interrupted. "I think Riku and Kairi might be there! We got to check it out! Tell the pilot to land the plane Luigi!"

"Forget it kid!" Luigi said. "We're not going down there!"

"But we have to!" Sora responded angrily.

"No!"

"Come on!" Sora argued.

"You can't make me!" Luigi argued back.

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"We're landing!"

"I said no!"

"That's it!" Sora yelled in anger. Sora ran through the door to the pilot's room. He pushed the pilot out of the way and began pressing button on the control panel. "One of these thing has to land it!"

The ship then started to shake and began to fly straight down into the world.

"No!" Luigi screamed. "What have you done?"

Toadsworth screamed as he grabbed on to a chair. "Everyone hang on, we're going to crash!"

The Toad Express descended very fast into the world and crashes could be heard in the world. The Toad Express had crashed landed on the beach of a huge jungle. Smoke came out of the ship as it laid there. Toadsworth stood up and walked outside coughing from the smoke.

"Oh, dear!" Toadsworth said. "What a landing!"

A Toad with a toolbox walked out.

"I'll go see if we're damaged." the Toad said.

"Thank you." Toadsworth responded "Everyone alright on board?"

"Well, I saw the pilot and that Sora kid on board out cold, but Luigi and Yoshi are missing." the Toad answered

"Goodness!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Master Luigi and Yoshi are missing! I must inform Master Sora!" Toadsworth ran back into the ship and saw Sora out cold on the ground. Toadsworth then shook him. "Master Sora! Master Sora! Please wake up!"

Sora slowly opened his eyes and looked at Toadsworth.

"Toadsworth? Would you tell me the story about the bunny?" Sora asked dazed.

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." Toadsworth said rolling his eyes.

Sora sat up and rubbed his head.

"Oh, man. My head hurts." Sora groaned. "What happen?"

"What happened?" Toadsworth angrily said in surprise. "You is what happened! You crashed the ship and we're stranded here because of you, you delinquent!"

"I did it for reason!" Sora snapped angrily. "I'm searching for my friends, and Luigi promised he would help me find my friends while I would help find his brother! He ignored me and broke that promise. I got angry."

"Still, no excuse for crashing the ship!" Toadsworth said in anger. He then noticed Sora making a very sad look. He then talked in a calmer tone. "I guess you did have your reasons. Don't be too upset, Master Sora. We all make mistakes. You're just a teenager, meaning you still have a lot of maturing to do. There is a lot to learn growing up, like one time during my driving test I crashed into a wall and-"

"Okay, Toadsworth!" Sora interrupted. "I get the point!" He then looked around and called his friends names. "Luigi? Yoshi? Are you guys here? Where are they?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Toadsworth said.

"You mean they're not here?" Sora asked.

Toadsworth just shook his head sadly. The Toad mechanic entered the room.

"Sir! I have good news and bad news." He said to Toadsworth. "The good news is that the engine is fixable and I should have it fixed within few hours. Luckily, the plane landed in very soft sand."

"And the pilot?" Toadsworth asked.

"He should be up later." The Toad responded. "But the bad news is, after closer examination I discovered that a minute before landing in this world that Luigi and Yoshi fell out of the plane."

"No!" Sora shouted punching the plane with his fist. "It's all my fault! I hope Yoshi's all right."

"Um, what about master Luigi?" Toadsworth asked.

"Huh? Um, oh, yeah, him too." Sora said in a not very caring voice.

"_It seems he now holds a grudge against master Luigi._" Toadsworth thought. "Master Sora, while we work on getting the plane back in tip top shape, you try to find some assistance and the locations of Master Luigi and Yoshi. After all you're the one who crashed the ship, so you need to fix this mess. Lakitu shall accompany you to keep that camera rolling on you. Also for journal business."

"Okay." Sora nodded. "I'll find all of my friends and we'll be on our way!" Sora walks out to new world and see's a wide beach. His eyes widen. "Is this my island?"

"I don't think it is." Toadsworth explained. "The name of this world is called Kongo Bongo Jungle or Kongo Jungle for short." Sora made an upset look. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find your home. Be careful though because jungles carry diseases, bugs, and danger can lurk around every corner. So please hurry and find help." Sora nodded and ran onto the beach. "These kids today." Toadsworth said rolling his eyes.

World Name: Kongo Bongo Jungle

Sora began his search on the sand part. Things seemed to be calm as he saw no heartless, but more Pikmin. After storing them in his magic box, he continued his search around the beach. He turned to notice a giant jungle with many giant trees growing. As he continued walking, he saw a giant red pirate ship in the distance.

"A pirate ship!" Sora exclaimed. "What's a ship doing here? Better investigate, maybe my friends are there."

Sora quicky ran over towards the ship to investigate. As he arrived, he could hear someone speaking.

"Argh! Faster me mateys, puts some muscle into it." Said a crusty voice.

Sora quickly saw a wooden barrel close by and hid behind it. As he looked, he saw three crocodile type creatures digging in the sand with shovels. The first one he saw was a short black one. Next to him was a giant green one who wore a pirates hat and black boots. The last one in the middle was red, who also wore a pirates hat, boots and a black belt.

"If we dig any deeper, we'll sink the island!' The Green one told the black one while shoveling.

"Aye!" The black one responded shoveling. He then turned to the orange one. "Are you sure we buried that treasure here, Captain Skurvy, sir?

"Aye!" Captain Skurvy responded. He then looked at his map. "X marks the spot! It be buried here, positively! Why, I'd even stake my reputation as the scurviest sea dog on it."

The pirates then brought the treasure out and set it aside.

"Well, my friends aren't here, better go look somewhere else." Sora whispered to himself

"Why does we bury the treasure, captain?" The green one said.

Captain Skurvy gasped in horror. "Why does we bury the treasure? WHY DOES WE BURY THE TREASURE?" He screamed in shock. He then turned to the black one. "Kutlass, tell Mr. Green Kroc here why we be buryin' treasure!"

Kutlass pulled out a book and scrolled through it until he found something and then cleared his throat.

"Ahem. According to Section 3, Paragraph 4 of The Pirate-a-Handbook-a, any and all-a-treasure acquired by ill-gotten means shall and will be systematically buried... sir." He explained

"So there be your answer, Mr. Green Kroc-smarty boots!" Skurvy said in a mock tone. "Now, not another word.

"But if we just be digging it up again..." Green Kroc began saying.

"ARE YOUR EARS FULL OF COTTON, SAILOR?" Skurvy screamed at Green Kroc.

Just then Sora sneezed and the pirates turned towards the barrel.

"Argh! Did you hear something captain?" Kutlass asked concerned.

"Aye!" Skurvy responded. "That I did, but where did it come from? Show ye self you scalawag!"

Then, a parrot appeared on top of the barrel Sora was hiding behind.

"A spy behind the barrel! A spy behind the barrel!" The parrot shouted.

"Quite Polly!" Sora whispered in anger. "Or I'll crack you open!"

Skurvy took out a giant blowgun and aimed it at the barrel.

"If you won't show ye self, then I'm going to have blast you to Davy Jones's locker!" Skurvy threatened.

Skurvy waited for a minute but Sora wouldn't leave the barrel. Skurvy then fired the gun and Sora jumped out of the way, as the barrel explodes.

"It is a spy!" Green Kroc exclaimed seeing Sora.

"After our booty!" Skurvy

"I'm no spy!" Sora protested. "I was just looking for my friends. I have no business stealing your treasure or causing trouble, so I'll be on my way!" He begins to leave but Kutlass punched him aside. "Hey! What was that sucker punch for?"

"How dare you ignore the great Captain Skurvy!" Kutlass said angrily. "Captain of the seven sea's!"

"But, this is only one world, which means it only has one sea!" Sora corrected standing up.

Kutlass looked through the Pirate-a Handbook-a and gasped.

"He's right!" Kutlass said. "There be only one sea!"

"How dare you correct a pirate!" Skurvy growled. He then turned to his crew. "Well mateys, what shall we do with our little friend? Tar and feather him?"

"Make him walk the plank!" Green Kroc added.

"Forget it!" Sora said getting his keyblade out. "If I can't leave, then I'm going to have to go through you by force!"

"Well, lad you came prepared!" Skurvy laughed. "You challenge Captain Skurvy? Then so be it!" He then took out a giant sword. "Stay out of this, I must deal with this little dog me self!"

"_Good, so as long as the big guys don't interfere, this should be cake._" Sora thought with a smirk.

"Prepare to die boy!" Skurvy shouted.

Skurvy charged at Sora. The two clashed their weapons and they got into a struggle. Since he was bigger and stronger, he pushed Sora back onto the ground. Sora got to his feet and clashed again. This time during the clash, Sora spun behind Skurvy and kicked him over.

"He hurt the captain!" Green Kroc exclaimed.

"You can't win like this!" Sora said. "You're too big. It slows you down, fatso!"

"FATSO?" Skurvy exclaimed. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR CALLING ME THAT YOU DOG!"

Skurvy attacked Sora again but Sora ducked under the attack and slashed Skurvy in the gut. Skurvy fell back again and quickly got back onto his feet. The two clashed again, but Skurvy quickly tripped Sora with his tail and rammed him to the ground.

"Okay, this isn't as easy as I though." Sora sighed. Sora then remembered the badge Cloud gave him and put it on. "Hope this works! Sonic Blade!"

Sora's keyblade began glowing and Sora dashed at Skurvy slashing him at extremely fast speed. The other pirates gasped in horror as Skurvy fell down.

"Captain Skurvy!" The pirates shouted in surprise.

"And that's that!" Sora said putting his keyblade away. However, that attack made him a bit tired and out of breath. "Better get out of here before they notice me again."

Sora tip toed away but then Green Kroc grabbed him and threw him into a banana tree causing all of his badges to fall out. He looked up to see the three pirates looking down at him with sinister smirks.

"But I though I took you down!" Sora exclaimed to Skurvy.

"Luckily, we pirates keep a supply of elixirs in store." Kutlass chuckled sinisterly.

"And you cheated!" Sora added. "It was just you and me Skurvy!"

"I'm a pirate." Skurvy replied. "I always cheat!"

The three pirates closed in on Sora and Sora scarcely puts up his keyblade hoping to block the attack. Just then, a brown hair hand tapped Green Kroc on the back, causing him to turn around and make a surprised look.

"Oh, no!" He said in surprise. "Not you!"

Before Green Kroc was a giant brown ape who had a red tie around his neck. The words "DK" were printed on it in yellow.

"Bananaaa Slamma!" The ape cried as he threw a punch at Green Kroc.

Green Kroc went flying and crashed into a bunch of barrels. The two pirates turned to see the ape.

"Donkey Kong!" Skurvy shouted. "I should have known that was you. Aren't you suppose to be busy eating a bunch of Bananas?"

"Well, I was hungry." DK responded. "But, bashing Kremlings like you is much more fun!"

"You'll pay matey!" Skurvy growled. "Kutlass! Get him!"

Kutlass ran at DK when all of a sudden he kept getting hit by peanuts from the sky.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kutlass asked in anger.

"Great timing little buddy!" DK called to the sky.

Sora looked up to the sky to see a brown chimp, with a red baseball cap and a red shirt, wearing a wooden jet pack in the sky. He was firing wooden pistols filled with peanuts at Kutlass.

"Argh! Another one!" Skurvy growled looking up.

The chimp then took out an orange. "Bombs away!"

He threw the orange which hit Kutlass causing an explosion. Kutlass got knocked into the same barrel batch where Green Kroc was.

"Fine, I'll take you out me self." Skurvy said taking out his sword.

"You never learn, do ya Skurvy?" DK laughed. He then pulled out a giant wooden gun. "Say, hello to my little friend!"

"Uh-oh!"

"Take this!" DK cried. "Bananaaa Slamma!"

He fired a coconut at Skurvy, which hit him and sent him crashing into the barrels. The three pirates then stood up and screamed.

"Run away!" The pirates cried.

The pirates grab their treasure and made a run for it.

"We'll be back!" Skurvy shouted. "And next time you three won't be so lucky!"

The chimp landed next to DK and put his jet pack away.

"We did, DK!" The Chimp said giving DK a high five.

"We sure did, Diddy." DK smiled back.

"But, who was that kid they were trying to hurt?" Diddy asked noticing Sora.

"Let's go ask him and then we can get some bananas." DK responded.

The two walked over to Sora who had stood up, grabbed his badges, and brushed himself off.

"You okay there?" Diddy asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Sora responded with a smile. "I was in a jam there, so thanks for the help.

"No prob." DK replied.

DK then began sniffing Sora.

"Um, what are you doing?" Sora asked un-eased. DK then picked a bug out of his hair causing him to jump. "Hey!"

DK ate the bug and then spat it back out.

"Yuck!" DK said in disgust. "They really do taste bad!"

"What was that for?" Sora asked in shock.

"Sorry, something I always wanted to do." DK shrugged.

"Watch out for that Captain Skurvy." Diddy told Sora. "He always causes a riot."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning." Sora chuckled sarcastically. "So you guys live here?"

"Of course, but I've never seen you before." DK said.

"Well, I'm not from here." Sora nervously said. He then told the two he was from another world but left out where exactly he was from.

"Wow! I guess Cranky was wrong, other world travel is possible." Diddy said in amazement.

"Aw, why travel to other worlds, when you got the biggest banana batch in the world." DK said proudly.

"But DK, what if we ran out of bananas?" Diddy asked.

DK shrieked in horror.

"No more bananas!" DK screamed. He then put his arm over his head. "Why, I wouldn't be able to live in a world without my beautiful bananas."

"Okay." Sora said at unease. He then got serious. "Listen, I'm here because I'm looking for my friends."

"Friends of yours are here?" Diddy asked.

"Yeah! My friends!" Sora nodded. "There's two of them, the plumbers name is-" He then paused for a second. He though that now would be the perfect time to ask about his other friends.

"Hello? Anyone home in there?" Diddy said waving his hand at Sora.

"Huh?"

"You okay kid?" DK asked while eating a Banana.

"Um, yeah I'm fine." Sora said rubbing his head. "Anyways, there's two of them a boy with white hair named Riku and a girl with red hair named Kairi. Have you seen them?"

"So, they're your friends?" DK asked.

"Yeah." Sora said raising his eyebrow.

"What do you think little buddy?" DK asked Diddy.

"I'm not sure DK." Diddy said with a shrug. "Maybe Cranky knows where they are."

"Cranky?" Sora asked.

"Cranky is the oldest and smartest Kong in Kongo Bongo." DK explained. "He also helps guard the Crystal Coconut."

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"We'll show you." Diddy said. "We can also help you find your friends."

"Thanks."

"So my name is Donkey Kong." DK said. "This is my little buddy Diddy and your name is..."

"Sora."

"We'll then, Sora. Let's go!" DK announced. "Bananaaa Slamma!"

DK then ran off.

"Does he always say that?" Sora asked turning to Diddy.

"He thinks he's a super hero." Diddy giggled. "Let him dream. We'll need to go to Funky Kong's airport to get to the middle of Kongo Bongo. "

"You have an airport?" Sora gasped.

Diddy nods and the two leave to follow DK.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the jungle, a large cabin area could be seen high up on a giant wooden platform. The house was round, with a red bamboo on top. Inside the house was a giant laboratory filled with tons of beakers and lab equipment which was all over the ground. Glass broken, chairs knocked over etc. Luigi was on the ground, while Yoshi was siting on a desk looking down at Luigi.

"Luigi?"

Luigi sat up groaning.

"Freaky, fettuccini!" Luigi groaned. "What a landing! You okay kid?"

"Yoshi's bottom hurt." Yoshi whined.

"I'm not kissing it." Luigi said raising his eyebrow. He then looked around. "Any idea where we are?"

"This place scary and dark." Yoshi quivered. "Yoshi wish Sora was here."

Upon hearing that Luigi made an angry look.

"Forget that twerp!" He growled. "We don't need him to find my brother! We can do it without him!" Luigi stood up and brushed himself off. He saw the P 3000 near a door. "Wait here and don't move."

Yoshi nodded and Luigi walked over to pick up his P 3000. Yoshi turned to his left noticing a strange cube. Yoshi then picked it up. As Luigi bent down, he could feel someone next to him. He looked up and saw a chimp wearing a pink hat, a pink shirt, pink bans on her legs, and has long blonde hair. They stared at each other for two seconds and then screamed at each other. The chimp ran out of the room while Luigi ran the other way, knocking into a world globe. The globe opened up revealing a shiny, silver coconut. Yoshi's eyes widened and his mouth dropped wide open with a drool.

"Ooh, Yoshi love coconut." Yoshi said in hunger. He stuck his tongue out and ate it. "Mmm."

"Wow, we've landed in a jungle." Luigi said sitting down on the P 3000. He then noticed something. "Hey, Yoshi, why is your stomach glowing silver?"

Yoshi looked down to notice his stomach glowing silver.

"Yoshi not sure." Yoshi shrugged. "Yoshi eat funny coconut and then Yoshi's tummy glow."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop eating things that don't look right?" Luigi said angrily at Yoshi.

"But Yoshi hungry." Yoshi whined

All of a sudden an old monkey entered the room leaning on a cane. He wore a blue vest and has a long white beared.

"What's going on here?" He said. He gasps upon seeing the lab destroyed. "My lab! What happen to my lab?" He then noticed Luigi. "Young man, what did you do to my lab?" Before Luigi could answers he made a shocked look. "The crystal coconut! Where did it go?"

Luigi laughed nervously. "Would you believe a sweat little dinosaur ate it?"

Yoshi just waved his hand at the monkey and the monkey puts his hand on his chest.

"YOU ATE IT?" He screamed.

"But it good!" Yoshi giggled licking his lips.

The monkey backed up, while breathing very hard. The same chimp Luigi scared off earlier walked back in and gasped upon seeing the monkey.

"Cranky!" She cried. She ran over to Cranky and put her arm around him, supporting him. "Are you alright?"

"Quicky, get my medicine, Dixie!" Cranky gasped

Dixie leaned Cranky against a wall and she ran over to a cabinet. Looking through it she found a jar labeled "medicine" on it and brought it over to Cranky. She took out the pill and gave it to him.

"Chew it up, Cranky." She said slowly. "Take your time." Cranky swallowed the pill and stood back up breathing slowly. "What happen? Why were you freaking out?"

"I'm freaking out because not only was my lab damaged but that little dinosaur ate the crystal coconut!" Cranky screamed. He then turned to Luigi and walked over to him with his cane. "Why weren't watching that little monster?"

"But...but..." Luigi sputtered. Cranky then wacked him on the head with his cane. "Ouch! He's the one who ate it not me!"

Cranky wacked him on the head again.

"Never interrupt when I'm talking!" Cranky snapped. "How dare you let a dumb animal gets his hands on a powerful possession."

"Now Yoshi is not dumb!" Luigi said. "He was born with a high I.Q. so you can't say that about my pal!"

"I'll say what I want!" Cranky replied. "As matter a fact why don't you and your little pal go to..."

"Okay, Cranky, I think you need to go cool down now." Dixie interrupted nervously. "Think of your blood pressure."

Cranky took a deep breath and sighed.

"Listen, the crystal coconut contains abnormal powers, powers we couldn't possibly imagine." Cranky explained calmly. "I guess we all make mistakes but not that lazy grandson of mine. He's suppose to be the future ruler of this world, and then he's off with Diddy finding bananas instead of guarding the coconut.."

Yoshi then started moaning and held his stomach. "Yoshi's tummy hurt.

"I told you something's was not right with that thing." Luigi told Yoshi. "Do you ever listen to me? No! You just eat everything you see."

All of a sudden everyone could hear a whirling sound.

"That sounds like Funky's plane." Dixie said.

"Banana Slama!" Called DK's voice from a distance.

"Ooh, that banana brain is going to get it when he gets here." Cranky growled.

"Um, do you two mind if you stay here for a little bit?" Dixie asked Luigi and Yoshi. "You won't be able to go anywhere on account of we have to get that coconut out of your friend."

"Well, we're lost anyways and I don't like going into jungles so you got my word." Luigi chuckled.

"Yoshi's tummy hurt!" Yoshi moaned.

"Don't worry kid." Luigi said to Yoshi. "We'll figure out someway to make you feel better."

"Thanks Luigi."

Meanwhile, outside in the town, a giant wooden airplane carrying DK, Diddy, a Kong with sunglasses (Funky) and Sora was coming in.

"Hang on, dudes!" Funky announced. "We're coming in Funky style!"

The plane landed on the runway and screeched to a halt. Sora and the three Kongs exited it.

"Wow!" Sora said excitedly. "That was more fun then Space Mountain!"

"What's Space Mountain?" DK asked.

"Oh, nothing special." Sora replied with a chuckle.

"Hey dudes here we are!" Funky said. "The heart of Kongo Bongo! Cranky lives just that way, I'm sure he can help you find your friends spiky haired dude."

"Thanks for the lift, Funky." Diddy said.

"No problem little Diddy." Funky smiled. "Well I'm off to catch some surfin'. See ya dudes later!"

Funky boarded his airplane and it took off the runway. The three wave good-bye and headed through town.

"So what's a crystal coconut?" Sora asked.

"Well Sora, it's a magic coconut with special powers." DK explained. "It allows one person to make a wish, and it can also predict the future. In a few years, I'm going to be the ruler of this world."

"As long as it's stays in the right hands." Diddy added.

"Donkey Kong!" Called a voice.

Sora turned to notice a female Kong wearing a white shirt, a blue head band and blue jean shorts. She was making an angry look at DK who had cowered behind Sora.

"If anyone asked that you saw me, tell them I went to the banana hoard." DK cowered.

Sora just rolled his eyes. The Kong grabbed DK's ear and dragged him out.

"You said that we were going to have a romantic lunch together." The Kong said. "You're ten minutes late, just like you always are!"

"But Candy, baby, my banana cream pie I was with Diddy and-"

"Don't sweat talk me!" She screamed. "That's always your excuse!" She then imitated DK. "I'm sorry Candy I was busy with my little buddy Diddy. Well, this time you're not going to crawl your way out of this one!"

"But the reason he was late was because he had to rescue me." Sora said defending DK. "Please don't be mad at him. If anyone is to blame it should be me."

Candy then bent down to Sora.

"Well alright, I'll let him off the hook this time." Candy smiled. "But who are you?"

"My name is..."

"Diddy! Diddy!" Dixie cried.

Dixie ran over to the group running by Donkey Kong and hugged Diddy.

"Whoa! Calm down Dixie!" Diddy said in surprise. "What's going on?"

"It's terrible!" Dixie replied pulling slowly away from Diddy.

"We're out of Bananas?" DK panicked.

Ignoring the question, Dixie continued talking.

"Cranky's lab is ruined!" She cried. "And if that weren't bad enough, the crystal coconut has been eaten!"

"Eaten?" DK cried.

"I bet K. Rool is behind this." Diddy said.

"It wasn't him." Dixie said. "It was a cute little green dinosaur.

"Yoshi?" Sora exclaimed. "He's alright! Come on, we goto go see!"

Sora and the Kongs headed towards Cranky's lab. Cranky was looking through many books trying to find the answer to the current dilemma.

"So what are you looking for?" Luigi asked Cranky.

"A hundred years ago, a stupid ape ate the crystal coconut." Cranky said. "Normal digestion can't get it out. So only a special ingredient can help the digestion process. But if I don't find it soon your friend could..."

"Hey Cranky!" DK called.

Cranky turned to see Sora and the Kongs entering the room. Yoshi saw Sora and got excited.

"Sora!" Yoshi cried.

Sora ran up to Luigi and took his hands.

"Luigi! Yoshi!" Sora said happily.

Sora and Luigi stared at each other, and then turned away from each other with crossed arms saying "Hmph!" at each other.

"Where have you been banana brain?" Cranky said bonking DK over the head with his cane. "Don't you know we have a crisis here?"

"I know, but where's the fridge? I'm hungry." DK said. Cranky then wacked him on the head with his cane. "Ouch! Okay, Cranky I get it!"

"Any luck finding a cure?" Dixie asked.

"I'm still looking through all my books and I haven't found it yet." Cranky said scratching his head.

"But if we don't find it soon..." Candy begin to say.

"Let's try not try to think about it and worry about a cure." Diddy interrupted

"Until then, those two are not allowed to leave." Cranky announced. "And as for that yellow shoed boy, he seems to have connections with them so he can't leave either."

"We'll let them know." Diddy nodded.

"Still it feels like we're keeping them as prisoners." DK said.

"But we can't just let that dinosaur leave with the coconut." Diddy explained.

"So you're alive, huh?" Luigi angrily said at Sora. "I was hoping you fell into the water and got eaten by the sharks!"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora argued. "You made a promise and you broke it! You said when we started this whole thing, you would help me find my friends."

"Listen kid, you're the keyblade master and we needed you to help us find my brother!" Luigi argued back. "I was only confident on finding my brother then finding your friends."

"Are you saying my friends aren't important?"

"That's right!" Luigi nodded.

"Why, you! I'll have you know that...

"Stop!" Yoshi cried. Everyone turned to Yoshi. "Yoshi's tummy hurt and no one cares!"

"Of course we care." Luigi said to Yoshi.

Yoshi then jumped into Sora's arms and hugged him.

"Yoshi glad Sora here." Yoshi said hugging Sora.

"I'm glad you're safe." Sora said putting Yoshi back down. "So you ate the coconut? Why?"

"Yoshi hungry." Yoshi whined. "Yoshi not know coconut bad."

"Don't feel bad kid." DK said. "I would have eaten it too."

"You wouldn't know how to eat the thing, because you're so dumb." Cranky said to himself

"Hey Diddy, let's go get those old films for our guests to watch." Dixie said.

"You mean those boring ones." Diddy moaned. "They're so boring!"

"Come on!" Dixie said taking Diddy's hand. "It will be fun and we could walk together."

"Okay." Diddy blushed. "We'll be right back."

The Kong kids left to get the tapes. Yoshi showed Sora and Luigi the block he found.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"It's special material that can be used for the Toad Express." Luigi explained.

"Which means..." Yoshi said

"That my brother could be here." Luigi said. "So we're going to work together...for now."

"Okay, I'll tag along...for now." Sora said.

Screams of Diddy and Dixie were then heard.

"Little buddy!" DK cried.

"Dixie!" Candy cried.

Everyone but Cranky and Yoshi ran outside to see the Kong kids embracing each other in front of Captain Skurvy and his crew.

"Skurvy!" DK shouted.

"We meet again, Donkey Kong." Skurvy laughed. "And your little spiked haired friend is here too."

"Hey, I though you were beaten!" Sora said.

"I told you lad, I would be back." Skurvy told Sora. "And here I am!"

The Kong kids made a run for it while Sora got his keyblade out.

"Everyone run!" DK shouted. "Me and Sora will handle these dudes and make them walk the plank."

"Only pirates do the plank walking! You'll pay!" Kutlass growled.

"I'm here to help too!" Luigi said getting the P 3000 ready. He then turned to Sora. "Besides, you're nothing without me kid!"

"Sure you are." Sora said sarcastically. "Whatever." He said under his breath.

The rematch began as Sora took on Skurvy, Luigi took on Kutlass, and DK took on Green Kroc. However, the battle didn't last long. Sora slashed at Skurvy and broke his sword in two. Luigi fired a fire spell at Kutlass hitting him in the behind. DK did some wrestling moves on Green Kroc and then threw him into the other pirates. They all fell off the balcony and everyone started laughing.

"Argh! We'll be back!" Skurvy growled.

The pirates quickly made a run for it.

"That was easy." Sora chuckled.

"Too easy." Luigi said suspiciously to himself.

The group headed back inside to see if everyone was all right, unaware that two crocodiles were spying on them. The first one wore an army helmet, a belt full of grenades, and green boots. The second one was taller, buffer and had blue skin. He wore a blue/white army shirt brought together with the pants.

"So do you think King K. Rool is going to be happy when he hears that dino kid ate the coconut General Klump?" The big one asked the army one.

"That's a negative, Krusha." Klump replied. "When he hears about this he'll stomp on his crown causing a fit. Then, he'll need a bandage on his foot because his crown is sharp and pointy. But the old monkey said there is a cure, so let's spy a bit longer before reporting."

"I'm hungry!"

"Not so loud solider!" Klump snapped. "We'll get in trouble if they hear us and I don't want to get my butt kicked by that furry fool for the hundredth time!"

"Okay, I'll try!" Krusha nodded. He then took an orange grenade from Klump's belt. "Ooh, orange!"

"NOOOO! Don't eat that orange!"

Krusha took a bite out of it causing an explosion. Cranky walked outside and looked to his left and saw smoke.

"Some idiot has been playing with oranges again." He groaned. "Would you pipe down so an old man could work in piece?" Cranky walked back inside.

Krusha and Klump revealed themselfs dirty and smoking.

"That's a...ten...four...solider..." Klump said dazed.

"Orange...good." Krusha added dazed.

They both fainted. Meanwhile, Cranky continued searching through books to find a cure. Sora, DK, Luigi, Yoshi, and Candy were watching slide shows that are really boring.

"Aw, do we have to watch this?" DK whined.

"Hey, a future ruler needs a good education." Cranky said. "And if we don't get anything into that walnut sized brain of yours, how are you going to lead your people?"

"Um, we sit around and eat bananas?"

"Never mind." Cranky moaned.

Many clips showed past rulers of Kongo Bongo, monuments, and family history. But the last slide showed a picture of a strange looking castle that caught Sora's eye. He stared at it with a strange look.

"Hey, kid are you alright?" Luigi asked concerned.

"Huh?"

"You looked a bit dazed there." DK said. "Have a banana!"

"Uh, thanks." Sora said taking the banana. "I guess I'm just hungry. _How weird. It's like I know that castle for some reason. But how? I've never been off my island._" He then turned to DK. "Donkey Kong, do you think you know where my friends are?"

"Oh, yeah. Cranky! Sora is looking for his friends. A white haired boy called Riku and a red headed girl named Kairi, seen em?" DK asked

"Sorry, young man." Cranky replied. "It's been years since we've had humans here. I have a bet saying that no good King K Rool might have them, but I'm not going towards that ugly kremling's place. By the way I found the cure for it."

"You did?" Yoshi asked happily.

"All we need is a special flower called the torow-torow." Cranky said showing them a picture. "This flower is completely red, stem and all. I need the pollen from it to create the antidote. This will help the digestion process for the coconut. It's located in the heart of Kongo Bongo. Donkey Kong will show you two the way."

"Why am I not surprised that we have to go into that jungle? Luigi said rolling his eyes.

"Oh, come on Luigi! Where's your sense of adventure?" Sora chuckled doing his famous goofy smile.

"It fell out the door when you crashed the plane." Luigi said.

Ignoring the comment Sora stood up. "Let's go then!"

"You better hurry back before it's too late." Cranky said. But it was too late, Sora and the crew were long gone. "This younger generation."

Outside Sora and the crew saw Funky Kong surrounded by Power Wilds.

"Oh, no!" Sora exclaimed. "The heartless!"

"Yo dudes!" Funky shouted. "I could use some assistance!"

"Hang on, Funky!" DK cried. "Banana Slama!"

Sora, Luigi and DK attacked the heartless, defeating them without breaking a sweat (Mostly because of DK pounding them to pieces) Funky then made a relived sigh.

"Whoa! Thanks dudes! I almost was a goner there." Funky then handed Luigi something. "I found this weird thing, but you can have it."

"It's another extra piece for the Toad Express. Luigi said observing the piece. "I'll hang onto it."

"Yo, I gotta get to some flyin' so I'll be seeing ya dudes around." Funky said. He then leaves.

"He has some vocabulary, huh?" Luigi scoffed

"What were those things that attacked him?" DK asked Sora.

"We'll explain later, just right now we have to find that torow-torow flower." Sora said.

Sora and his crew headed over to a barrel that launched them directly into the heart of the jungle. Meanwhile, Klump and Krusha came out of hiding from a bush.

"Did you hear that?" Krusha said.

"So there going to find the rare torow-torow, eh?" Klump smirked "Krusha, we must report this to King K. Rool on the double!"

The two then left the area. Meanwhile, Sora, Luigi, and DK made it through part of the jungle. They then saw more members of the Kong family surrounded by heartless. A Kong with long arms and legs named Lanky Kong was in trouble, but Sora's group quickly disposed of them. A young girl with two blonde pony tails named Tiny was also in trouble. Sora's group also disposed of them. DK then turned to Tiny.

"Hey Tiny, have you seen your sister anywhere?" DK asked.

"Last I saw she was with that cute Diddy Kong." Tiny giggled.

"I wonder if he's okay." DK said sadly.

"I'm sure he's fine." Sora said comfortingly. "Maybe if we keep going, we'll find them."

"_I wish he didn't say that._" Luigi thought rolling his eyes.

The group then headed off again. Krusha and Klump arrived at a cave on a mine cart. The cart took them into a tunnel and they arrived at a wide open area. The two jumped off and walked up towards a group of stairs that went to a platform.

"King K. Rool sir!" Klump called looking up. "Klump and Krusha here to report sir! We found the coconut sir!"

A piece of rock then floated down from the sky with K. Rool on it. The rock landed and K. Rool stepped off it.

"General Klump!" He said. "What's the news on the crystal coconut? You know how much I want it."

"Well sir..you...see...it's...kinda...funny." Klump said nervously.

"Someone ate the coconut." Krusha interrupted.

K. Rool then grabbed Klump by the neck and choked him.

"WHAT?" K. Rool shouted. "IT"S BEEN EATEN!"

"Now...don't...panic...sir!" Klump gagged. "I...have...a...plan!"

K.Rool then dropped Klump.

"We have found out that, Donkey Kong is going after the rare torow-torow plant sir."Klump said.

"And I know that it can help the digestion process of the coconut." K.Rool said. "But what are you suggesting we do?"

"We ambush the lab, kidnap the one who ate it, and bring it all back here and give it to you." Krusha explained.

"I'll capture the girl we also need for our plans, but what about that meddling Kong? We have to hold him off or else he would beat you two silly." K.Rool said. "And Kong fu was suppose to come to challenge Donkey Kong to a rematch but he's running late. So who else can we get?"

"K.Rool!" Called a voice.

The three bad guys turned to see Skurvy and his crew entering.

"Ah! Skurvy my old friend." K.Rool said. "How have you been?"

"Listen, I've come here for a reason." Skurvy said.

"We need your help!" Green Kroc added.

"My help?" K.Rool laughed. "It's just Donkey Kong, why fuss over him?"

"It's not just Donkey Kong." Kutlass snapped. "It's also some kid who uses a key as a weapon.

"So the one Bowser has been watching is here." K. Rool chuckled. "I will enjoy taking him down. Alright, Skurvy. I'll help you, but the only way to do it is by merging your allies with you."

"What do you mean?" Skurvy asked.

"You'll see." K.Rool smirked sinisterly.

K.Rool began glowing with a dark energy. He then fired something at the pirates hitting them causing a giant flash. After the flash ended Skurvy looked around noticing that Kutlass and Green Kroc weren't around.

"Green Kroc? Kutlass?" Skurvy asked looking around. "Where's me crew?"

"Didn't you listen to a word I said?" K.Rool asked rolling his eyes. "I caused your allies to fuse their powers into yours. You are now stronger and faster, more then a match for that brat. But this power is only temporary. It will only last for an hour and once it's up your allies will split up again. So use it wisely! I can only do it once!"

Skurvy smirked

"Yes! I will!" Skurvy chuckled sinisterly. He then laughs manically.

"Hey, I'm bad too! I can manically laugh as well!" K.Rool whined. He then laughed as well. Everyone then started laughing which caused K.Rool to stop them and yelled at them. "Quite! Get back to work!" Everybody then ran to leave except K.Rool who sighed. "It's so hard to find good help these days."

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Monkeying Around Part II

**Chapter VII: Mon"key"ing Around Part II**

Back in the jungle, Sora and the others have just defeated the last group of heartless. DK then pointed to his left.

"There it is guys!" DK announced. "The rare torow-torow flowers."

Sora ran over and grabbed a bunch.

"Great!" Sora smiled. "Now we can save Yoshi!"

All of a sudden a gun shot could be heard.

"W-what was that?" Luigi asked nervously.

"It sounded like it came from the tree house." DK said. He then gasped. "Oh, no! My friends are in trouble!"

"We'd better get back there before whoever fired off that gun does." Sora added.

Sora, Luigi, and DK ran as fast as they could back to the tree house. On the way they battled any heartless that tried to stop them. Sora slashed through them. Luigi sucked some of them up and DK blasted them with his coconut gun. They then arrived at the bamboo forest expecting heartless, but to their surprise nobody was there.

"Looks like we're safe for now." Luigi sighed with relief.

"We're almost there!" DK said. "Just pass this bamboo forest there should be a barrel to take us back."

"I'm afraid I won't let you get there, maytes!" Called a familiar voice.

"Gee, I wonder who that is?" Luigi asked sarcastically.

"Santa Claus?" DK asked excitedly.

"Boy, maybe Donkey Kong should be a little home schooled." Sora said shaking his head. Skurvy then jumped out from the bamboo. "Skurvy!"

"We meet again boy!" Skurvy laughed at Sora.

"There's no point in fighting you again." DK groaned. "You've already got beaten twice and I doubt you can win again, especially since Green Kroc and Kutlass aren't here to help you this time."

"That's where you're wrong Donkey Kong." Skurvy laughed. "They temporality fused their power with mine making me invincible."

Donkey Kong then ran at Skurvy with full power.

"Wait, DK!" Sora called out. "What if he's telling the truth?"

"No way!" DK said charging at Skurvy. "Skurvy will always be Skurvy, a weakling!"

Skurvy smacked DK aside and he crashed into a bush. Skurvy quickly ran at Sora with his sword out and was about to bring it down on him. Sora quickly took his keyblade out and clashed with Skurvy.

"_Whoa!_" Sora though. "_He is stronger this time!_"

Skurvy tripped Sora and quickly raps his tail around Sora's neck. He then choked Sora, but Sora bit his tail causing Skurvy to scream in pain and blow on his tail.

"You'll pay for that you dog!" Skurvy growled.

"Yuck! Nothing like crocodile in the afternoon." Sora chuckled.

Skurvy ran at Sora again and the two of them clashed again. Sora spun around Skurvy and tried to kick him but Skurvy grabbed Sora's leg and threw him to the ground.

"I suggest surrendering little sailor." Skurvy said putting his sword up to Sora's face. "Your ship has come in."

"And you're about to hit the deck!" Luigi shouted.

Skurvy turns to see Luigi firing a fire spell at him. Skurvy screamed in pain from the burning.

"Quick kid!" Luigi called out. "Now's your chance!"

"Right!" Sora nodded. Sora quickly ran at Skurvy and rammed his head into Skurvy's gut. Skurvy went flying and landed behind the bamboo. The three then went back to back. "Keep your eyes opened. He may try to ambush us!"

"Will do little buddy!" DK smiled. He then scratched his head. "Um, what does ambush mean?"

Sora just rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, back at Cranky's lab, Cranky was waiting impatiently for Sora and his friends return.

"Where are those whipper snappers?" Cranky asked.

"They sure have been gone awhile." Candy added concerned.

"Yoshi's tummy hurt even more." Yoshi whined.

Just then everyone could hear noises outside. Cranky and Candy peaked outside to see Power Wild heartless. The two gasped and shut the door.

"What were those things?" Candy asked nervously.

"I-I don't know, but don't worry no one can knock down this door." Cranky said. Just then Diddy knocked down the door and jumps into Candy's arms and knocked her over. "Maybe next time I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Diddy what's going on?" Candy asked.

"Th-they're coming!" Diddy muffled in Candy's arms.

"Who's coming?"

All of a sudden a shadow came in bigger then the three Kongs. The three Kongs gasped in horror and everything went black.

Back at the bamboo forest, Sora and the others were looking around.

"I wonder if we really beat him?" Sora asked still in a little disbelief.

"I wouldn't let your guard down, kid." Luigi said. "He might be trying to trick us."

"I didn't ask for your help and frankly I don't need it!" Sora said angrily at Luigi.

"Fine!" Luigi growled turning away from Sora."Then you don't get any more!"

"Come on, guys!" DK called out. "Let's put all of this fighting aside and worry about beating Skurvy."

"Fine!" They both said to DK.

Skurvy then jumped out from behind the bamboo and attacked DK. Sora jumped up and kicked him aside. Skurvy tries to slash at Sora but Luigi pulled him in with the P 3000. He then turned it off and Skurvy fell down.

"I don't get it!" Skurvy panted. "I should be stronger! Why can't I still win?"

"Don't you get it Skurvy?" DK laughed. "We're working at a team! Three against one isn't much of a fair match, just like you did to poor Sora earlier."

"Fools!" Skurvy Snarled. "I will not be humiliated by you morons! Prepare to die!" He then started running towards the group but then stopping. "Huh? I feel funny." All of a sudden Skurvy started glowing.

"Luigi? What's going on?" Sora asked.

"I-I don't know."

Just then Kutlass and Green Kroc appeared beside Skurvy. Skurvy noticed them and made a nervous look.

"Uh oh." Skurvy said with a gulp.

"Captain Skurvy sir, what happened?" Kutlass asked.

"Apparently, our fusion has worn off." Skurvy said. He then turned to notice Sora's group smirking and approaching them. The three pirates then got nervous and backed away. "Hey fellas, can't we talk this over some nice tasty elixirs?"

"Hey DK, would you prefer baggage or a nice purse for Candy?" Sora jokingly asked DK.

"Both." DK responded with a maniacal laugh.

The three pirates screamed like little girls and ran away. As they left, the pirates dropped something and Sora picked it up.

"Come on, kid! Our friends are in trouble!" Luigi said.

"Let's hurry back then!" Sora announced

"Bananaaaa Slama!" DK cried.

The group quickly jumped into the barrel and they got launched back to Cranky's lab. Upon their arrival they got greeted by the heartless. Sora used his Sonic Wave move to quickly dispose of them and then our heros ran into the lab only to see it in ruin.

"Surprising, spaghetti!" Luigi cried. "This is worse then my Nona's kitchen when we use to visit her on Saturdays." Sora and DK made confused looks at Luigi. "Nona is Grandma in Italian."

"Oh!" Sora and DK said in unison.

Sora and the group then looked around.

"What happened? This place is a disaster again!" Sora exclaimed.

"Boy, Cranky would flip if he saw that his lab was a mess." DK said looking around. He then stood on a pile of broken wood.

"I'm already freaking out!" Called a muffled voice.

DK looked around with hope.

"Cranky? Cranky? Where are you?" DK asked looking around with hope.

"You're standing on me!" He yelled.

DK jumped off the pile and Cranky broke through it and shook his head. "Oops, sorry."

"Be thank full I'm not in my extremely angry mood or else I'd be busting your bananas." Cranky said getting up and brushing himself off.

"Like, that made any sense." Luigi said rolling his eyes.

"Sir, are you alright?" Sora asked Cranky.

"I'm fine young man." Cranky said sitting down in his rocking chair. "If I were in my youth I would have kick that General Klump's sorry behind."

"General Klump was here?" DK exclaimed.

"Who's that?" Luigi asked.

"One of my arch-enemy's side-kicks." DK explained. "King K. Rool is their leader. For years he always tried to get the crystal coconut so he could rule this world. Why was he here, Cranky?"

"That dumb Kremling and his partner Krusha kidnaped Diddy and Candy." Cranky told DK. DK then gasped. "And they took some of my lab equipment and that dino kid."

"Yoshi!" Sora and Luigi cried. They both turned to each other "Huh?" They both then turned their heads away from each other. "Hmph!"

"Come on, guys!" DK groaned. "This isn't the time to be fighting. We got to think straight and stick together or else will never be able to save our friends."

"_Wow, that's the smartest thing I've ever heard him say." _Cranky thought to himself with a chuckle.

"But where could they have gotten too?" Sora asked.

"Probably to their cave." DK assumed.

"We have to hurry before they try to hurt anyone, including Yoshi!" Luigi shouted.

"Cranky, wait here while we try to find the others!" DK said as leaving with Sora and Luigi.

"Oh, sure that's fine." He said sarcastically. "Leave me here to CLEAN UP EVERYTHING!"

Sora and Luigi followed DK as fast as they could through the jungle. Along the way they encountered heartless, but Sora slashed through them and DK shot some with his coconut gun. One tried to ambush our heros but Luigi shots a Fire attack turning it into ashes. They then reached a round grass area and they all of a sudden saw Diddy and Candy embracing each other around a dark energy shield. DK ran to them.

"Donkey Kong!" Candy cried.

"Little buddy! Candy! Hold on!" DK called to them.

"Wait, it could be a trap!" Sora called to DK.

DK ran into the shield and got knocked back. DK got back up and punched at it, having no effect.

"Dumb ape." Luigi muttered. "Always attack, never plan."

"Darn!" DK said angrily snapping his finger. "We got to figure out another way to break through this thing."

All of a sudden more heartless appeared.

"Let's figure it out after we beat those guys, huh?" Luigi said.

Sora charged at the heartless and tried to hit it but it jumped up and kicked him in the face. Sora jumped back up to his feet and looked up as it attacked again. This time he attacked the foot and the Power Wild fell over and grabbed it's toe hopping around. He stabbed the heartless killing it. Five more surround him and he quickly clashed with each one getting into a melee type combat. Luigi shot a fire spell at a few burning them up but then more attacked him, but DK quickly smacked them off him. More then keep coming.

"They just don't seem to stop!" Sora exclaimed while kicking a Power Wild aside. "It's like their being attracted by something!"

"Could be that shield Diddy and Candy are in." Luigi assumed shooting a thunder spell.

"There must be something that can knock it down!" DK said. DK then looked up at a tree to notice a giant purple banana with the same color as the shield hanging in a tree. DK then made a disgusted look. "Out of all the bananas I've eaten, there is now way I'd eat that one, but the color looks familiar. Where have I seen that?" After ten minutes of thinking he finally got it. "Aha! No, wait I had it!" He thought about it again. "Hey, that banana has the same color as the shield! Sora!"

"What's up?" Sora asked while kicking heartless aside.

"This must be the shield's power source!" DK said pointing up at the banana.

"It's looks like the color of the shield." Sora gasped. "I'm going to make a jump for it!"

Sora ran through a swarm of heartless and slashed at them. He then jumped onto DK's shoulders and jumped onto the tree and stabbed the banana causing a wave of darkness to flow out. Luigi and DK ducked down as the wave hit the heartless and the shield. After it cleared up, the shield was gone and the two Kongs were free. DK then ran up to them and hugged them.

"I'm so glad you two are okay." DK said happily.

"Okay, big guy!" Diddy gagged. "You're chocking us!"

He then put them down. "Oops, sorry."

"Guys, are you alright?" Luigi asked.

"We're find but those creeps took your friend to the cave." Candy said.

"They also so captured Dixie, and I'm not sure why." Diddy asked. "But no matter what the reason, I'm coming with you guys to the cave to rescue her."

"All right, little buddy!" DK said giving his friend a high five.

"We'll take care of K.Rool and his goons once and for all!" Sora announced.

"I'll head back to the lab and help Cranky." Candy said. She then turned to DK. "Donkey Kong be careful. I truly do love you and I don't want you to get hurt."

Candy kisses DK on the cheek and walked away. DK begam jumping around hooting.

"Banana Slammma!" He cried.

"You can enjoy that kiss later." Luigi said jumping up and down. "We've got to hurry or they'll do something to our friends!"

"Right!" Sora nodded. "Let's get going!'

The four heros made their way to the lair of K.Rool. Meanwhile, at the cave K.rool was mixing some things up using the lab equipment that Krusha and Klump stole from Cranky's lab. Beside him was, Dixie who out cold on the ground and Krusha and Klump were both pinning Yoshi down, but Yoshi tried to struggle.

"Just stay down you little maggot!" Klump groaned.

"Don't waste your strength on this little runt General Klump." Krusha laughed. "I have eaten worms bigger then him."

"Let Yoshi go!" Yoshi screamed. "Help! Sora! Luigi! Help, Yoshi!"

K.Rool pored a red liquid out of the beaker and into a small test tube. He then walked over to Yoshi talking in a sweat voice. "Now drink this you sweet little angel you." Yoshi then bit at K.Rool and K.Rool backed up raising his voice. "Don't make me show you how dinosaurs became extinct!" He then stopped and thought for a second and then snapped his finger. "I got it! Hey, little guy, I heard you got a tummy ache."

Yoshi then calmed down and sat up. "How did big guy know?"

"Well my friend, the moment I saw you I could tell you needed help and luckily I can help you." K.Rool laughed,

"How can big guys help Yoshi?" Yoshi asked.

"Simple, young trooper. Just drink the nice alligator's drink" Klump explained "And you can kiss that tummy ache good-bye."

"Ooh!" Yoshi said excitedly. "Yoshi drink! Yoshi drink!" Yoshi grabbed the tube and drank it all up. Yoshi's mouth then begins glowing and Yoshi spat the crystal coconut out.

K.Rool's eyes widened upon seeing it and rubbed his hands together.

"At long last, the Crystal Coconut is finally mine!" K.Rool laughed. The coconut then began glowing.

"Um, what's the coconut doing sir..." Krusha began to ask.

"Quite you fool!" K.Rool snapped at Krusha. An image appeared on screen showing Sora and his friends running through a group of heartless. "What? It's that kid and Donkey Kong too!"

"Sora!" Yoshi cried.

"But sir, if my calculations were correct, Skurvy should have been able to finish that brat off." Klump said in shock.

K.Rool then grabbed both Krusha and Klump by the neck.

"Next time calculate a bit better!" K.Rool yelled at Klump. "Because of you two idiots, Donkey Kong and his friends are going to ruin my plans again. And that dumb Koopa hasn't gotten here yet because he was taking his afternoon lava bath. We need to stall for time so he can get here and grab the girl before they get here first."

"I...will..come...up...with...a...plan...if...you...can...stop...strangling me sir!" Klump gagged.

"I could be of some assistants sir." Called a mysterious voice.

The kremling turned to see another Kong wearing a Karate gi.

"Kong fu!" K.Rool exclaimed. "When are on earth have you been?"

"I am sorry master." Kong fu said doing a karate bow. "But I had to fight evil ninja apes on my way over here. I was surrounded by millions of them, they came at me from all corners. I couldn't stop them, they attacked me and...

"Enough of your stupid stories!" K.Rool interrupted angrily. "I called you here to try and defeat Donkey Kong again, and I know you're dying for a rematch!"

"I am!" Kong fu said in a silent tone. "He will pay for humiliating in battle, when I should have won!"

"As a matter of fact, he should be here any second. So, why don't you give him a warm welcome?" K.Rool smirked.

"With pleasure." Kong fu smirked back.

Back outside, Sora and the others reached the entrance to K.Rool's cave.

"This is it guys!" Diddy announced. Now, let's save Dixie!"

Diddy was about to run in when a flash of smoke hit him.

"Little buddy!" DK cried running over to him. He then bent down to him and picked him up. "Are you okay?"

"Not as bad as you'll be stupefied one!" Called a voice.

"I know that voice." DK whispered to himself. He backed away and Kong Fun appeared out of the smoke. "Kong fu!"

"So, Donkey Kong we meet again." Kong fu said getting into a fighting position.

"Apparently, these two have cross paths before." Sora said.

"I am here for a rematch brown one." Kong fu said. "And this time the darkness can't save you for I have been going for special therapy. So I no longer fear it, it is my enemy and I have conquered it."

Luigi started laughing. "You mean, you were afraid of the dark? What a chicken?

"You dare mock the great Kong Fu?" Kung fu yelled angrily at Luigi. "You shall feel my wrath green one! Hiya!"

Kong Fu sent a flying kick at Luigi. The foot was about to hit, but Luigi grabbed the foot and jumped up kicking Kong Fu in the gut. Everybody including Sora dropped their mouths wide open. Kong Fu got back up and got into battle position.

"Luigi, how did you..."

"I took a few karate lessons in my day." Luigi chuckled to Sora. He then took the P 3000 off and got ready to fight. "You three run for it while I'll take care of Kong Fu!"

"You are skilled Green one but you are no match for me." Kong fu said.

KF threw a punch at Luigi but he moved out of the way and tried to trip KF but he jumped over Luigi's kick and kicked Luigi in the face sending him flying into a tree. Luigi spun his body back and kicked against a tree and punched Kong fu who blocks the attacks and tried to counter but Luigi also blocked it.

"Man, he gave me such a hard time but Luigi is fighting him at his own level! That's cool!" DK said impressed.

"Guys! What are you waiting for? A mozzarella milkshake?" Luigi said blocking Kong Fu's attacks. "Get in there!"

"Okay!" Sora nodded. He then stopped and looked at DK. "What's a mozzarella milkshake?"

DK shrugged his shoulders and he, Diddy, and Sora quickly ran into the cave. Luigi blocked a kick with his arm and tried to counter with a punch but KF blocked it with his hand. The two struggled but Luigi pushes KF back and did a round house kick knocking Kong Fu down, but he quickly got to his feet and kicked Luigi in the gut. Luigi got back up and the two stood in fighting posses.

"Truly impressive green one." Kong Fu smirked. "You rival my skills and technique, but in the end not even you can defeat me."

"Come prove it." Luigi smirked. Luigi waved his hand with a "Bring it on" hand movement. The two then charged at each other again.

Back in the cave, Dixie Kong was still out cold and K.Rool was getting impatient.

"I can't stand it!" K.Rool yelled. "I'll have the heartless take her away."

A group of heartless approached the lifeless body but Yoshi jumps in front of her.

"Yoshi, protect monkey girl." Yoshi said bravely. "Yoshi no scared!"

"Ten hut heartless! Dispose of that dino maggot!" Klump told the heartless.

The heartless are ready to attack when Sora ran in.

"No!" Sora cried out. The heartless turned to see Sora and he threw his keyblade at them destroying each one. Yoshi then quickly ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Sora here to save Yoshi!" Yoshi said happily. He then licked Sora's face, and Sora laughed.

"Okay, Yoshi." Sora chuckled. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Krusha! Klump!" K.Rool said. "Get them!"

The two charged at Sora and Yoshi but DK jumped in front of them.

"Oh, no!" They both cried.

"Bananaaaaa Slamaaaaaaaa! DK cried. He threw a punch at both of them and they hit the wall.

Diddy ran over to Dixie but a group of heartless got in his way.

"Out of my way freaks!" Diddy shouted throwing an orange at the heartless. It then caused an explosion. As the smoke cleared Diddy looked around and saw no sign of Dixie. Diddy looked around the cave calling her name. "Dixie! Dixie!"

"K.Rool!" Sora yelled pointing his keyblade at K.Rool.

K.Rool just smirked at Sora.

"It's not K.Rool." DK said observing him.

"W-what do you mean?" Diddy asked. "It's that same dumb alligator we've always fought against."

"I know." DK nodded. "But it's like I can't feel a heart in him."

"Is he heartless?" Yoshi asked.

"Attack!" K.Rool shouted to the heartless.

The power wilds attack our heros. Sora slashed at some and tripped one over. DK pounded the ground knocking some heartless out of the way. Yoshi ate some and spat them back out at other heartless. Meanwhile, Luigi was blocking some of Kong Fu's attacks but Kong Fu punched Luigi in the chest sending him crashing him into a tree. Luigi jumped back up and sent a flying kick at Kong Fu but he blocked it again and threw Luigi making him crash into the ground. Luigi got back up, but he was short of breath.

"_I can't last much longer." _Luigi thought.

"I'm bored of you green one." Kong fu sighed. "Time to finish you off with my flying bananas of doom!" He then put one foot up and raised his arm. He made karate sounds and was ready to strike when a mouse ran by him and he screamed like a little girl and jumped into a tree. "Keep it away! Keep it away!"

"Hey, he's afraid of mice." Luigi snickered. "Now's my chance!"

Kong Fu slowly slid down from the tree and looked around with caution.

"Is it gone? Is it gone? Is it on me? Is it on me?" He said in a panic. He then turned to see Luigi running at him with a punch. "Uh-oh!"

Luigi punched Kong Fu in the gut and continuously hit him. He then jumped up into the air doing a mid-air pose

"Pasta Power!" He cried He then kicked Kong Fu in the face and he fell to the ground. He weakly got up and looked up to see a smirking Luigi. "Want some more?"

"I...give...up!" Kong Fu said weakly. He then fainted.

"Hoo-hoo! I'm the winner." Luigi cheered. "But I better help my friends out!"

Luigi put the P 3000 on and ran into the cave. Meanwhile, K.Rool threw his crown at Sora but Sora jumped out of the way. The crown then came back to him.

"What is that crown like, a boomerang?" Sora asked in surprise.

"He's had years of experience with it." DK said rolling his eyes.

K.Rool threw the crown at Sora again but DK grabbed it. Sora then attacked K.Rool with a flying kick sending him flying into a wall.

"Man, he's even more pathetic then Skurvy." Sora laughed.

"You may have defeated Skurvy but you'll never beat me." K.Rool said weakly. He stood up and looked to see Luigi enter. "You beat Kong Fu?"

"Let's just say he was a mice of mice." Luigi chuckled.

Sora just rolled his eyes. "He seriously got to lay off the corny jokes."

The five heros then surround K.Rool.

"You're surrounded, K.Rool!" DK said. "We took care of Krusha, Klump, and the heartless, so just give yourself up!"

"I've only just begun to fight." K.Rool said with a smirk. K.Rool picked up his crown and snapped his fingers. Just then the wall behind him got destroyed revealing a giant hole.

"What happened?" Yoshi asked Sora. "What he do?"

"I don't think he did anything." Sora gulped nervously. He then squinted his eyes and could notice a very faded outline. "What's that?"

"K.Rool out cold in a second." DK said charging at him. He was about to punch K.Rool when something knocked him straight back. DK then got up weakly and looked at K.Rool. "What just happened?"

K.Rool jumped up and then floated in mid-air.

"He's flying!" Luigi exclaimed. "But how?"

"He isn't flying." Sora said. "Listen, can you hear that?"

A growl could be heard and then K.Rool jumped into the air and the group jumped out of the way as he came down. Something landed on the ground while K.Rool was still floating.

"He's riding something!" Luigi said in shock. "But we can't see it! How do we beat that?"

"Just listen for it's sounds and concentrate." Sora instructed. "If you squint hard enough you can see an outline." K.Rool was about to attack again. "Look out!" The group quickly rolled out of the way again as whatever K.Rool was on attacked.

The group then attacked whatever K.Rool is riding. The thing screamed in pain as Sora slashed, Yoshi kicked, Luigi burnt, and DK punched it. It then knocked everyone back again and revealed itself as a green Chameleon with a heartless symbol.

"A Chameleon?" Yoshi cried.

"Correct, but not just a Chameleon say hello to my Stealth-Sneak." K.Rool laughed. "And he's hungry for a serving of keyblade master, plumber, dumb chimps, and dinosaur.

"No!" Yoshi whimpered. "Yoshi no taste good! Yoshi don't want to be eaten alive!"

"Don't worry kid." Luigi said to Yoshi. "We'll beat this guy so fast, he won't know what hit him."

"Attack!"

S.S. attacked our heros with a quick swipe and slashed at Sora but Sora blocked the attack but the force sent him back. S.S. stuck it's tongue out at Luigi but Yoshi countered with his own tongue and they went into a tongue lock. (Ironic isn't it?)

"Quick kid!" Luigi called to Sora. "Now's your chance to attack! Yoshi won't last too long!"

Sora jumped up onto S.S. and kicked K.Rool off S.S. but then S.S. hits it's head into Sora knocking him off. Sora got up and slashes S.S.'s tongue and it growled in pain. K.Rool brushes himself off and threw his crown at Sora again but Luigi sucked it up.

"Hey, I had five payments on the crown!" K.Rool yelled at Luigi waving his fist.

"Little buddy, go and get help!" DK instructed Diddy. Diddy nodded and ran out. "Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi, you deal with old ugly over here while I'll deal with K.Rool!"

"Right!"

S.S. attacks our heros with it's tail but they quickly jumped over the attack. It stuck it's tongue out at Luigi. Luigi tried to suck up the tongue but it wrapped itself around the P 3000 and pulled on it sending Luigi flying towards the creature's mouth. Sora and Yoshi both kicked S.S. in the face sending it crashing into the ground.

"Thanks, guys!" Luigi sighed. "I was almost a meatball."

"Well, that's what friends are for." Sora smiled. Luigi smiled back and S.S. got back up and attacked again.

S.S. fired two waves at Yoshi but he rolled out of the way. He rapidly fired waved at the trio but they dodged the attack. Sora shot a Thunder spell at S.S. but it fired waved at the spell and the two collided causing an explosion. Meanwhile, K.Rool threw a punch at DK but DK dodged the attack and grabbed K.Rool by the tail and sent him flying across the cave. K.Rool got back up and ran at DK but DK saw a magic barrel near by and jumps into it.

"What on earth?" K.Rool said with big eyes.

"Banana Slama!" DK cried. DK flew out of the barrel and rammed K.Rool in the gut and sending him flying into Krusha and Klump.

Sora and the others continued to dodge S.S.'s attacks. They tried to attack him but couldn't t lay a finger on him. S.S. began to glow again. Sora then saw an opening when it raised it's body out revealing the heatless symbol.

"This may be my only chance!" Sora shouted. Sora threw his keyblade and S.S. fired a wave. The wave hit Sora knocking him over screaming in pain and the keyblade stabbed S.S. in the chest making him growl in pain.

"Sora!" DK, Yoshi, and Luigi cried.

The three ran over to Sora and DK helped him up by putting his arm around him. "Put your weight on me, Sora. I got you. You okay?"

"A lot better then he is." Sora chuckled weakly.

The keyblade fell off S.S.'s chest and S.S. growled and had electricity surrounding it. K.Rool and his men stood up and turned to Sora's group unaware that S.S. was behind them.

"Now we've got them." Klump laughed. Klump took an orange off of his belt and prepared to throw it.

"Soon, Donkey Kong, you shall be sent to oblivion and I will use the Crystal Coconut's power to rule this entire world." K.Rool laughed manically.

Klump got ready to throw the orange and Krusha turned around and noticed S.S. ready to fall.

"Um, general Klump..." Krusha said nervously.

"Silence! Can't you see I'm about to blast them into next Tuesday?" Klump snapped.

With his last bit of strength Sora yelled out to the Kremlings. "Look out!"

The three Kremlings turned to see Stealth-Sneak falling on them and they screamed trying to run but it was too late. The heartless fell on top of them not only squishing them but squishing the oranges in Klump's hand and belt causing a massive explosion sending everyone flying. Diddy and the others arrived at the cave a few minutes later. As they enter they saw everything in K.Rool's lair has been destroyed and everyone on the floor. DK, Luigi, and Yoshi weakly stood up.

"DK, are you okay?" Diddy said running over to DK.

"I'm fine now little buddy." DK smiled at Diddy.

Candy then hugged Donkey Kong. "Oh, DK, you were so brave."

"Aw, shucks it was nothing." DK blushed.

"What happened here?" Cranky said looking around.

"Well sir, K.Rool was using the heartless and he almost got the crystal coconut but luckily we showed up and kicked his butt." Luigi told Cranky.

"Where are those fools now?"

"Gone for good." DK said to Cranky in a low tone. "A giant heartless squashed all three of them and there was a big explosion. I think they won't survive that."

"At long last, K.Rool is finally gone!" Cranky cheered. "Now we don't have to worry about the crystal coconut being stolen. _I do feel sad because he used to be a friend of mine._"

"I still feel sorry for K.Rool though." Luigi said. "He gave up his heart just to get power, and that is simply wrong."

Yoshi was licking Sora's face trying to wake him up.

"Sora! Sora!" Yoshi cried. "Wake up!"

A scroll then floated down from the sky and Luigi grabs it.

"Another scroll, think I better read it this time." Luigi said un rolling it. "Now let's see; Though you are down and the scars you may feel, shall be gone with the power to heal." Luigi's P 3000 began glowing and a green wave appeared around Sora causing Yoshi to jump back. The green light then disappeared and Sora sat up rubbing his head. Yoshi ran into Sora's arm and licked him.

"Hey!" Sora laughed. "It's okay Yoshi, I'm fine now!" Sora put Yoshi down and stood up looking over himself. "I feel so much better, but how?"

"We've just learned a Cure spell." Luigi said to Sora. "Whenever an ally is injured, Cure can recover that person inside and out. So, I guess it all worked out and you're healed now because of me."

"Thanks." Sora smiled to Luigi. He then turned to the others "What happened to K.Rool?" Everyone explained to Sora what happened. "So was he controlling the heartless or were they controlling him?"

"We'll probably never know, but I do respect you young man." Cranky said walking up to Sora. "You saved Kongo Bongo from the Kremling crew, so now we can live in piece."

"Yep, I would never leave this place no matter what because it's home." DK smiled. He then turned to notice Diddy having tears coming out of his eyes. "What's wrong little buddy?"

"Dixie's gone." Diddy sniffled. "I should have protected her, but instead those things got her."

"Sorry, Diddy." Yoshi said softly.

"I'm sure they haven't gotten too far." Sora said. "When we leave this world, we'll keep our eyes open for her."

"You'd do that?" Diddy asked hopefully.

"Sure." Sora smiled. "If wasn't for you guys rescuing me earlier, I would have been shark bait."

Just then, the crystal coconut began glowing and floated out of the cave.

"Where coconut go?" Yoshi asked.

"Quick!" Cranky yelled. "After it!"

The group chased after the coconut through the jungle until they arrived at a small stone temple where the coconut entered. Sora began to walk in but DK stopped him.

"Hey, we have to get it!" Sora said to DK.

"Be careful Sora. That's the temple of Inca Dinka Doo." DK said. "He could cause a curse if you're not careful."

"We'll be careful." Sora nodded.

The gang entered the temple and got to a rectangular room where it was glowing in the middle from the coconut.

"Where's Inca Dinka Doo?" Diddy asked nervously. Everyone could then hear snoring.

"What that?" Yoshi asked nervously.

Everyone turned to see a stone statue making snoring sounds.

"He's asleep!" DK shouted. Everyone else went shh at him. "What did I say?"

Just then the wall began glowing. DK walked up to it and the others followed.

"What's up, DK?" Diddy asked.

"I know where Sora's friends are." DK said

"You do?" Sora asked with hope.

"Well...sort...of." DK said with a glum look. "You can see your friends are inside your heart, no matter where you go, you can always find them. It's in all of us."

"Oh." Sora said in disappointment. "So that's what you meant."

"People who are good and have friends have the same heart. K.Rool lost his heart because he had no friends and gave up his life." DK explained. "What I figure is, if you have no heart, you can't see your friends, and if you don't have a heart, you don't have any friends."

"_Two smart things said in one day._" Cranky though with a smile. _"I may be mean to that kid, but he will always be my favorite grandson because I love him._"

Sora and Luigi turned to each other.

"Um, Luigi?" Sora said rubbing is head and bending down to Luigi.

"Yeah, kid." Luigi said rubbing his head too.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I over reacted." Sora apologized

"I'm sorry for the mean things I said too." Luigi apologized as well.

Yoshi jumped in and put his arms around Sora and Luigi.

"Yoshi! All for one and one for all, right?" Yoshi cheered.

The wall then began glowing and Sora walked up to it. The light on the wall slowly dimmed out and revealed a keyhole on the wall.

"Is that, a keyhole?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Weird, you usually find those things on a door." Sora said in confusion. Then the unexpected happened, the keyblade appeared in Sora's hand and fired a beam at the keyhole which caused it to disappear, making a locking noise and dropping a piece of the Toad Express.

Luigi and Yoshi both observed it.

"It's a piece for the Toad Express." Luigi said sadly.

"But it not Mario's." Yoshi sighed sadly.

"What just happened?" Sora asked.

"Beats me." Diddy shrugged.

"But I'll hang onto this piece." Luigi said putting the block in his pocket. He then looked down to notice a female chimp rubbing him "Huh?"

"Well, well." Candy giggled. "Someone has got a new admirer."

"W-what?" Luigi stuttered. He then looked down at the chimp and then panicked. "No way! Daisy would kill me!" Luigi ran out of the temple as the chimp chased him. Everyone else started laughing and they all followed.

Back at the dark lair with the monitor, a group of villains were looking at our heros.

"What happened?" Ganondorf asked Bowser. "Surely, that darn dumb travel baggage could have finished them off."

"Yes." Bowser nodded. "However, K.Rool's lust for power got the best of him. In the end it was his own carelessness and misused of that power that caused his own downfall."

"Yeah!" Dedede laughed. "He and those dumbbells of his got chomped instead."

"I give this guy power and he misused it." Bowser growled. "What an idiot! What's this world coming too?"

"Don't you get it?" Ganondorf groaned to Bowser. "A weak-hearted fool like him would have never stood a chance against the heartless. But that meddling child with the key is another story, he also found one of the keyholes. If he keeps finding them-"

"Do I look worried?" Bowser interrupted with a snap. "Just relax man, it will take that punk a million years to find them all. Besides, he's unaware of our other plans so that I..er...I mean we can rule all worlds."

"The princesses?" Eggman asked.

"Very good my mentally challenged friend." Bowser laughed. "Did you figure that out all by yourself, or did you need your mommy to help you?"

"You! How dare you challenge my scientific knowledge!" Eggman yelled at Bowser. "I shall come over there and destroy you!"

"Ooh, I'm so scared." Bowser whimpered sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Attack me with your periodic chart, or that thing you call a stomach." Bowser then broke into laughter.

"That's it!" Eggman screamed. Eggman tried to attack but Ganondorf uses his powers to hold Eggman back.

"We should maybe get back down to our business gentleman."Black Shadow said to Bowser and Eggman.

"Yes, so bring in our captive princess now!" Bowser smiled sinisterly.

Just then the water creature with the paint brush from the Isle Delfino chapter walked in pulling a chain with Dixie tied up.

"Help! Help!" Dixie cried. "Diddy, Donkey Kong! Help!"

"Would someone shut her up?" Bowser growled rolling his eyes. Ganondorf chanted something in a strange language causing Dixie to glow and she then fainted. "Take her away!"

The creature pulled on Dixie taking her away.

Back at Cranky's lab everyone (including Funky Kong) spent most of the time cleaning up the mess that was made in there. A few hours have passed and the place was then cleaned up. Sora and his friends got ready to go.

"So you're leaving?" DK asked disappointed.

"Afraid so." Sora said with a smile. "But we will always remember you guys."

"Where's your ship anyway?" Candy asked Luigi.

"Not sure, but I think Sora knows." Luigi said turning to Sora.

"Funky, can you take us back to our plane?" Sora asked Funky. "I'll show you the way."

"Hey dudes! Anything for a couple of pals and it's on the house." Funky said.

"Please find Dixie." Diddy said sadly.

"Diddy no worry." Yoshi smiled. "Yoshi, Sora, and Luigi find Dixie."

Diddy just smiled. "Thanks."

DK shook Sora's hand.

"Sora, thank you for everything." DK said. "You and me will always be pals."

"And good luck being the ruler of this world." Sora said. As they released their hands Sora could see a banana keychain in his hand. "What's this?"

"A keychain?" Luigi asked in confusion.

"I found it one day and it looked like it's used for your keyblade." DK said. "I call it the Banana Slammer keychain."

"Put keychain on keyblade and see what happens." Yoshi told Sora.

Sora put the keychain on his keyblade and it transformed into a longer keyblade with a yellow banana color.

"Wow!" Sora gasped. "My keyblade! It changed!"

"Apparently, when ever you equipped a keychain to the keyblade, it changes and it makes you stronger." Luigi guessed.

"Well, I guess it could come in handy for later." Sora smiled. "Let's go!"

The group said their good-byes and boarded Funky's plane. After a few minutes of flying the group arrived back at the Toad Express. They got greeted by Toadsworth.

"Master Sora, Master Luigi and Yoshi." Toadsworth said happily. "Thank goodness you three are okay. I saw everything that happened."

"If it wasn't for Donkey Kong we would have been heartless food." Luigi chuckled.

"Good. Let's leave this world." Toadsworth said.

The group said good-bye to Funky and boarded the plane. The plane took off into space. Ten minutes later, Sora, Luigi and Yoshi were discussing the Toad Express piece they found.

"It doesn't look like a normal piece of the ship." Luigi stated observing the piece. "It looks different."

"What could it be used for?" Sora asked.

"Yoshi think Leon will know." Yoshi said.

"Maybe. Let's go back to Delfino Island and check." Sora announced.

"We might have to stop by another world first, so let's worry about that after." Toadsworth said.

"Okay. I'm going to ask the pilot if I could drive the ship." Sora said standing up

"What? Oh, no, you don't!" Luigi snapped. "After last time? Forget it!"

"Come on, I'm the keyblade master!" Sora whined at Luigi.

"I don't care if you're the King and Queen of cheese, I still won't let you drive!" Luigi argued.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Don't pull a Bugs Bunny on me!"

"I wasn't!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Yoshi just looked out the window, put his chin on his hand and rolled his eyes. "Not again."

And it continued on and on...


	9. The Bounty Hunt on Sora

**Chapter VIII: The Bounty Hunt on Sora**

An hour has passed ever since Sora and company left Kongo Bongo. Luigi and Sora have stopped fighting with each other and went about their business. Luigi was playing with a Gameboy Advance rapidly pressing buttons.

"Come on!" Luigi shouted. "Jump over the pipe! Jump over the cliff!" The sound when you lose a life in the original Super Mario Brothers was heard on the Gameboy. "Mama-mia! Another life down the drain!"

Sora had been sitting in his seat thinking of everything that has happened so far. _"I feel like those heartless are trying to accomplish something, but what? So far it seems like certain people can control them but how is that possible. And what about Dixie? Where did she disappear to?" _Sora then made a sad look. _"And will I ever see Riku and Kairi again? This is hopeless!" _

Sora sniffled a little bit and looked out the window.

"Sora?" Yoshi asked softly.

Sora turned to see Yoshi looking up at him.

"Hi Yoshi." Sora said sadly.

"Is Sora okay?" Yoshi asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora lied with a little smile.

"Now Sora, it okay to tell Yoshi the truth." Yoshi said with his hands on his hips a little upset.

"I guess nothing gets by you, huh?" Sora chuckled. "I'm just trying to figure out what these heartless are trying to accomplish and I'm still worried about Riku and Kairi. What happened to them? Are they all right?" Sora put his head down. "Will I ever see them again?"

Yoshi jumped onto Sora's lap and nudged Sora's cheek with his nose. "Don't be sad Sora. Yoshi, right here to help find friends. But remember what Luigi told Sora; no frowning and no sad faces, okay?"

Sora looked at Yoshi and nodded. "Thanks, Yoshi. I'll try to be happy. You make me feel so much better."

"Yoshi! That's what Yoshi do best!" Yoshi smiled proudly.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt this touching moment, but we'll be at another world any second." Luigi announced. "It should be coming into view on your left!"

The trio turned to the windows on their left and looked out to see a dark world with lava on it and a giant building.

"Okay, that's just creepy." Sora said raising his eyebrow with a little fear.

"What is that world?" Luigi asked.

"It's called Zebes." Toadsworth explained walking in. "We have discovered that strange life forms live in that world. A space lab that is run by Space Pirates steal rare species and use them in their own experiment."

"How does Toadsworth know?" Yoshi asked.

"Been researching this world with our on board scientists." Toadsworth responded.

"You have scientist on board?" Sora asked confused.

"Hey, when this ship belongs to a princess anything is possible!" Toadsworth laughed.

"_Boy, if I had a private plane I would have arcade games and free soda." _Sora thought gleefully.

"Kid!" Luigi interrupted. "This isn't the time to daydream, we have work to do!"

"Sorry."

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi really going down into scary world?" Yoshi asked nervously.

"We have to!" Sora said. "We have to find Luigi's brother and my friends!"

"But I don't think that world is exactly poison gas free." Luigi gulped.

"Correct, Mater Luigi." Toadsworth nodded. "But don't threat because our scientists have created uniforms to not only help you breath but to get used to the gravity."

"Cool!" Sora said.

"No way!" Luigi said upset. "There is no way I'm getting out of my favorite clothes!"

"But-"

"Not buts!" Luigi interrupted "There's no way!" Sora and Yoshi turned to each other and nodded. "W-what are you doing?"

"Grab him!"

Sora and Yoshi grabbed Luigi and pulled him into another room. A few minutes later the trio came out wearing an orange/yellow suits that fit perfectly on each of them. The also held red helmets with a green seeing glass.

"I can't believe I have to wear this stupid outfit." Luigi grumbled.

Sora just stretched for a bit. "It's amazing! It has a lot of flexibility. How did you guys make these?"

"During an exhibition around the worlds last year we met the Choso tribe who gave us three of these suits as a piece offering." Toadsworth explained. "It's power is infused with their blood, giving extraordinary capabilities You will learn the possibilities of these suits while exploring your new world. Also, I added built in microphones so you can communicate with each other."

"Thanks!" Sora nodded. "Let's get going guys!" Sora put on his helmet and walked up to the door.

"I have a bad feeling we're going to run into trouble." Luigi sighed.

"Luigi always say that." Yoshi said giggling.

"Because I always end up getting beaten, burned, and..."

Before Luigi could finish Sora opened the door knocking it into Luigi who then fell over. "Oops, sorry Luigi!"

Luigi was on the floor dazed. "No..problem...kid."

After a few minutes of getting Luigi back up the group ventured out into the world.

World Name: Planet Zebes

Sora, Luigi and Yoshi arrived outside of the Toad Express to see the planet looked deserted. The ground had holes with lava in them.

"Ya think anyone would live here on a planet like this?" Sora said looking around.

"Maybe there's someone in that building over there!" Luigi said pointing to a building. The building wasn't too big and it was worn out and old. As they began to move, blue and yellow space pirates appeared before them. "Oh, no! Not these guys again!"

Sora stabbed one of them and threw it at another one. One tried to grab him but then the unexpected happened; Sora turned into a tiny golden ball and rolled around the space pirates.

"What happened to Sora?" Yoshi asked Luigi in shock.

"He turned into some sort of ball." Luigi gasped.

The ball jumped into the air and it produced a small ball with a flashing circle in the middle which landed on the ground near the space pirates causing an explosion. Luigi and Yoshi shield their eyes from the explosion. As the smoke cleared, Sora returned to normal.

"How did I do that?" Sora asked himself stunned.

"Remember what Toadsworth said." Luigi said. "These suits we're wearing have special powers, and I think you've just discovered one of them."

"What else do you think this suit can do?" Sora asked Luigi.

"Beats me." Luigi shrugged.

"When you master their power, you become one of them and feel their blood moving through your body." Called a female voice.

"Who's there?" Sora asked bravely.

A person wearing the exact same suit appeared out of nowhere. The persons figure was female and she had a gun on her right arm.

"Is that you Toadsworth?" Luigi asked the person.

"Um, Luigi, are you blind?" Sora groaned. "Toadsworth is shorter then us and I think she was about to tell us something."

"What?" Luigi cried out. "Please forgive me ma'am! I didn't know er.. I mean I just was just...

"It's okay." The woman chuckled. "People always mistake me like that."

"That not nice for people to say that." Yoshi said a little upset.

"I know, but people always say that the great Samus Aran, the savior of this world, two faced, take no prisoner was female."

"You're a bounty hunter Samus?" Sora asked baffled.

"What's a bounty hunter, Sora?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"Well, a bounty hunter is someone that hunts something else to receive cash and cool prizes." Sora explained to Yoshi.

"Are you three space bounty hunters?" Samus asked them suspiciously. "You don't look very professional."

"Actually, we're..."

"Of course we are!" Luigi lied. "Why else would we come here?"

"I don't know, but still you three are in my way." Samus said. "I'm here to stop an evil space pirate dragon named Ridly that kidnaped a baby Metriod.

"A Met...what?"

"Metriod is a jelly fish like creature that sucks the life out of life forms." Samus explained.

"Y-you mean like that?" Luigi pointed nervously.

A small jellyfish like creature with a heartless symbol on it flew at our heros.

"Look out!"

The four jumped out of the way of the Metriod. Sora tried to attack it, but it floated under Sora's legs and sneaks attacks from above.

"Kid, heads up!" Luigi called out to Sora.

Sora turned to see the Metriod hit him in the face. It began sucking on Sora and began growing.

"Sora!" Yoshi and Luigi cried.

"An ice beam should stop it dead in it's track!" Samus said putting a blue sphere into her gun. She fired the gun knocking the Metriod off and turning it into ice. Luigi and Yoshi ran to over to Sora.

"Kid!" Luigi said. "Are you alright?"

"I feel like it really suck the life out of me." Sora said weakly.

"That's because it did." Samus said. "Luckily, it didn't take a lot from you but you would have been killed if it did."

Luigi used his cure spell to revive Sora to full power.

"What we do know?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, I guess I have to team up with my fellow bounty hunters for right now." Samus sighed. "I shall be your guide through Zebes until we find that Metriod."

"Okay, my name is Sora, and these are my bounty hunter pals Luigi and Yoshi." Sora told Samus pointing to his friends. They waved hi to Samus.

"Then let's get going!" Samus announced.

Samus walked away but Sora's group stayed behind for a minute.

"Why did you lie to Samus like that?" Sora asked Luigi. "We're not bounty hunters."

"Kid, she is a bounty hunter! She could have blasted our brains out!" Luigi shouted.

"All Luigi could have said was that Yoshi not space pirate." Yoshi said

"I know but if we didn't say anything she might have gotten suspicious." Luigi gulped. "And she had some major artillery! She could have kicked our butts!"

"That's not the reason, is it Luigi?" Sora snickered. "You just wanted to impress her."

"I already have a girlfriend, kid!" Luigi yelled at Sora. "I was not trying to impress her!"

"Sure you weren't." Sora said sarcastically. "Come on, guys!"

"He doesn't believe me about having a girlfriend." Luigi groaned.

"I'm only teasing Luigi." Sora chuckled. "But seriously, I don't think Samus would hurt us. After all we are wearing the same thing she is."

"I guess you're right." Luigi sighed with relief.

"Hey! Are you three going to chat all day or are we actually going to go in?" Samus called to the boys.

The three ran and caught up with Samus. As they headed for the lab, a camera was hiding on a boulder. The camera was hooked up to a giant monitor in a science lab area. There were giant tubes in the room where one of them had a baby Metriod floating around in it. At the chair where the giant screen was, a purple claw was resting on the arm of the chair.

"Everything is going according to plan." The creature said with a sinister voice. "Not only will I get Samus Aran for my plans and use the baby Metriod to give re-birth to Mother Brain, but I'll also kill that keyblade master and his pathetic friends."

Back outside of Zebes, the group encountered more Space Pirate Heartless. Sora slashed at a few with his new keyblade. It was able to reach the heartless more easily but when they fired magic spells, it was harder to deflect the attacks.

"Boy, why is there a catch for everything? Including this improved keyblade?" Sora sighed sadly.

"Well, there's a catch for everything kid." Luigi responded.

The heartless tried to attack Samus but she did a cannonball over it and fired a plasma beam at it. She next fired homing missile at three and they all explode. Two ran at her but she turned into her morph ball form and dodged the attack. Another one then grabbed the ball, but Sora kicked the heartless out of the way and Samus returned to normal.

"Thanks. Sora." Samus said. "You've got some impressive strength there."

"Ha! Watch this!" Sora laughed. Sora snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and rushed through the heartless destroying them.

"Hooray, Sora!" Yoshi cheered.

The group continued running through the outside of the planet destroying the heartless until they reached the lab.

"We're here." Samus announced

"Release the pigeons!" Luigi said jokingly.

"Um, are you sure it's in this place?" Sora asked Samus with confusion. "It looks like this place hasn't been up to date in awhile."

"Yes, but there is a secret lab below here and our only chance to get in there is to go through here." Samus explained.

Sora grabbed the handles of the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. "We can't get in! This door is as old and rusty as Luigi's jokes!"

"I heard that!"

"Stand back!" Samus cried out to her friends.

Sora and his group stood behind Samus as she charged her plasma gun at the door. She fired a beam out of it causing the door to explode in a flash of light.

"Wow! That was cool!" Sora said in amazement. "Can that thing make an ice cream sundae?"

"Never tried." Samus said. "But let's not try now because we have to save that Metriod!"

"Right!" Sora nodded. "So, let's go in!"

The four heros entered the building. Inside, the lab was very worn out. There were broken wires and broken test tubes. Sora noticed giant computer screens that were still running and he walked over to it. The Nintendo characters looked around the room.

"Boy, my Nona would have a heart attack if she had to clean up this mess." Luigi chuckled.

"What happened to place?" Yoshi asked.

"Every decade the great time of lava happens causing lava to appear all over the planet." Samus said. "Ten years ago the lava destroyed this entire lab, and no one survived. Today is the tenth year and I fear the lava may come. "

"Leapen, linguini!" Luigi cried. "It's time I made like a drummer and beat it!"

Luigi tried to run but he ran into a wall and fell down and a piece of ruble landed on top of him.

"The exit's that way." Samus said pointing to her right.

"Thanks for the warning, kid." Luigi muffled sarcastically on the floor.

Sora typed on the computer for a bit. _"This computer seems to be running perfectly. But how? If Samus said was true, then this lab shouldn't be running except for underneath." _

Yoshi helped Luigi up. "Is Luigi okay?"

"I've been in worse situations kid, so don't worry." Luigi groaned.

"Hey, guys check this out!" Sora called to his friends. The others turn to Sora. "This computer monitor is still running."

"Impossible!" Yoshi said.

"He's right!" Samus exclaimed. "Active scanner!" A red square appeared on Samus's helmet and she goes "hmm". She then turns to the others. "This computer was running twenty-five minutes ago."

"Which means someone has been here recently." Luigi said suspiciously.

"I bet it was that Ridly guy!" Sora added. "But where did he get to?"

Just then, a group of heartless jumped down from a platform. Yoshi turned around and saw them. He panicked and tapped Luigi on the shoulder who was still looking at the monitor.

"Luigi." Yoshi whimpered.

"Hold on kid." Luigi snapped. "Can't you see we are trying to figure things out?"

"But...'

"Not buts, no gluteus maximus." Luigi said.

"Dear Diary, another corny joke." Sora sighed.

The heartless closed in on our heros and Yoshi hugged Sora's leg and whimpered. "Sora!"

"What's the matter pal?" Sora asked Yoshi sweetly while turning to him and patting his head.

"Heartless!" Yoshi cried.

Sora turned to see them and gasps "Oh, no! Luigi, Samus we've got company!"

Luigi and Samus turned to see the heartless.

"Why didn't you say anything before kid?" Luigi panicked to Sora.

"Yoshi try, but Luigi no listen!" Yoshi said angrily at Luigi.

"Well I would apologies, but first lets kick some butt!" Luigi cried.

Sora jumped into the air and kicked down a space pirate heartless. A heartless Metriod tried to attack Luigi but he sucked it up with the P 3000. Samus used her photon lasers to destroy the heartless surrounding her. Yoshi shot eggs at some of the heartless knocking them down. Samus transformed into her morph ball form and rolled down the hall.

"Quick, transform into morph ball and follow me!" Samus called to her friends as she rolled down the hall.

"But how?" Sora asked.

"How did you do it before?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Well. I thought about ducking down and when I did..." Sora ducked down and turned into the ball. "Hey! I did it! Try it guys! It's so cool!"

Luigi and Yoshi ducked and they both became morph balls.

"Ooh, Yoshi bouncy ball." Yoshi giggled moving around.

"Not so fast, Yoshi!" Luigi said. "You'll ruin something. I feel like I don't have a spine or muscles. Wee! I can't feel pain anymore!" He then rolled into a wall. "Ouch! Guess, I spoke too soon!"

"Quickly, follow me to that hole in the wall!" Samus instructed.

The four rolled down the hall being chased by the heartless. Samus left a bomb behind and the four quickly rolled into the hole as the bomb exploded destroying the heartless. The four morph balls crashed into each other in the wall.

"Ouch! Watch it! Careful!"

"We're getting nowhere fast here!" Sora shouted. "Everyone stop moving!" The morph balls stopped moving. "Okay, now there's a path way to our left, let me move first and then you three follow."

Sora rolled down the hole on the left and everyone else followed. They continued rolling until they saw an opening. After they entered it, they arrived in a small room with a door in the shape of a hexagon. The group then transformed back into their normal forms.

"That fun!" Yoshi cheered.

"But this isn't the time for playing games." Samus said. "According to my built in map, we have reached Ridly's under ground base. Just through this door!"

"Okay, but how do we get through?" Sora wondered looking curiously at the door.

"It's just like the ones at the Super Market, Sora." Luigi said with confidants. "Walk up to the door and..." He walked into the door slamming his face and fell down. "Why am I receiving so many blows today?

"Looks like it's not your lucky day, huh?" Sora chuckled.

"Okay, these doors can only open by a plasma beams, which means only I can open them." Samus said. "Stand back!"

Samus fired a beam at the door and it opened.

"Cool! Let's go in!"

"That thing really is handy." Luigi chuckled.

The four entered a giant lab room where there was giant podium stand. A small robot entered the room making the sound of a trumpet. Above the podium was a purple dragon who had a long nose and giant wings.

"Ridley!" Samus cried to her enemy. Samus ran up to the podium and stopped. "Give me back that Metriod!"

"Sorry, Ms. Aran but I can't simply give you the Metriod without a fair trail." Ridly snickered.

"What are you talking about?" Samus asked suspiciously. Just then a cage landed on top of her. "What is the meaning of this?" Samus tried to use her gun but it deactivated. "Huh?

Sora ran up to Ridly angrily. "What have you done to her?"

"What I've done boy is set up a game for you and your friends." Ridly snickered. "If you ever want to see your friend again you'll do as I say. And I disabled Samus's weapons so she can't escape."

"We accept your challenge!" Sora said with confidence. "We'll do what we can to free Samus!"

"Kid we can't." Luigi said sadly.

"We outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Yoshi asked.

"Meddling!" Luigi said correcting Yoshi.

"But she helped us!" Sora responded angrily. "It's not nice to let a friend be captured and leave her here. You guys can go but I'm going to help her!"

Luigi just sighed and joined Sora. "Okay, kid. We'll help."

"Yoshi help too!" Yoshi said joining his friends.

"Okay, here is how the game works." Ridly explained. "You three are going to be committed of a crime and there are 4 pieces evidence in the pirate lab and they look like presents. Three are very simple but the fourth you may need to keep your eyes peeled. Bring it back to me and your fate will be decided."

"Could we trust him?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Trust or not to trust." Ridley smirked. "That's for you to decide."

Sora then walked over to Samus.

"Sora, I'm sorry." Samus said sadly. "I didn't want to get you involved in all this, but now...

"Don't say that." Sora interrupted softly "It's the least we can do and if it wasn't for you, I would've become a lifeless zombie."

"I still don't understand why Ridly would want to capture you." Luigi wondered.

"Let's try to not figure it out now." Sora said. "We have to rescue Samus!"

The three heros headed into the next room and arrived in a giant laboratory room. As soon as they arrived they encounter space pirate heartless. Sora slashed through them, Luigi sucked them up and Yoshi ate them. After quickly disposing of the heartless the group continued on. They also found Pikmin in the ground and Sora stored them in the cube. As they continued on Sora noticed a little present on the ground.

"Ooh, a present for Yoshi." Yoshi said excitedly.

"Hold on, kid!" Luigi interrupted. "We found one of the clues!"

"But Yoshi want present now!" Yoshi whined.

"Tell you what. Yoshi." Sora chuckled. "When we get back to Isle Delfino I'll buy you an ice cream!"

"Hooray!" Yoshi cheered.

After collecting their first clue, more heartless appeared around the trio but they defeated the heartless pretty easily. Sora then noticed a hi-potion on the ground and picked it up.

"Look, I see another present!" Luigi cried looking up.

The group looked up to see a present on a metal platform. Sora noticed a ladder and climbed up it. As he reached the top, he encountered more space pirate heartless. One attacked him but he ducked under it and it fell off the bridge.

"Ooh, that leave big boo-boo." Yoshi said shutting his eyes.

Sora slashed at another one and kicked another one off the bridge. One fired an ice attack at Sora and Sora countered with his fire spell causing an explosion knocking Sora off the building. Luigi and Yoshi ran around trying to catch him.

"I gotch ya kid!" Luigi shouted out to Sora.

"Yoshi got Sora!"

The two ran into each other and Sora landed on top of them. Sora sat up and rubbed his head.

"Thanks for the catch guys." Sora sighed with relief.

"No problem." Yoshi groaned.

"Now could you get off?"

Sora stood up and held up the second present. "We only need two more. This shouldn't be so hard."

"But Ridley said that the forth one would be hard to fine." Luigi commented. "We would need to look extra hard."

"Look!" Yoshi called.

The two turned to notice a note floating down from the sky. Sora grabbed it.

"Is it a scroll?" Luigi asked.

"No, it says 'add the Hi-potion to the green formula to get your answer." Sora replied reading the letter. "This might help us find one of the clues but who would give us this?"

A mysterious person who made a quick flash of his white hair dashed out of the room. Sora walked over to the beaker and poured the Hi-potion in and it turned red.

"Now what?" Luigi asked again.

"Now it says drink it." Sora said.

"Wait, it could be a trap!" Luigi said stopping Sora from drinking it. "What if it's poisoned?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take to save Samus!" Sora said bravely. Sora took off his helmet really quickly and drank the potion and he began growing, "Whoa!"

Luigi and Yoshi ran out of the way and both looked up dropping their mouths. Sora was a giant and could barley fit in the room.

"Kid, have you put on some weight or are you just happy to see me?" Luigi chuckled jokingly.

"Watch it or I'll step on you!" Sora threatened. With that said Luigi shut right up. "How is this suppose to help me find the forth clue?"

Sora then bumped his head into a button on the sealing and a trapped door opened below the middle of the room.

"It trap door!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"It may lead us to the special clue!" Luigi said excitedly. "Let's go!"

"I would love to go, we could have a ball." Sora groaned sarcastically. "Oh, but wait there's a problem, I'M 40 FEET TALL!"

"Oh, right, sorry." Luigi laughed nervously. "How do we get you back to normal?"

"Beats me." Sora shrugged. "But, I'm not going to spend the rest my life as big as Godzilla!"

"Right you are." Luigi said. "It could get ugly!"

"_Drink the pink potion to shrink."_ A voice whispered in Sora's head.

"Who said that?" Sora asked himself looking around.

"Who said what?"

"I just...never mind." Sora sighed. He took the pink potion, took his helmet off for a quick second and drank it. After a few seconds Sora returned to normal. "It worked!"

"How did Sora know what to do?" Yoshi asked curiously.

"I heard a voice and it told me to drink that potion." Sora responded.

"Yeah, right!" Luigi laughed. "And I'm the King of Italy!"

"But it's true Luigi!" Sora protested. "It happened, I heard a voice and..."

"Kid, you need to cut back on the pasta." Luigi groaned. "You over did before we left today. Come, on! We have work to do!"

Luigi jumped into the trap door and Sora looked down sadly. Yoshi then took his hand and looked up at him.

"Yoshi believe Sora." Yoshi said warmly to Sora.

"Thanks Yoshi." Sora said happily. "But you're just saying that because..."

"No, no, Yoshi believe." Yoshi interrupted. "Yoshi can see it in Sora's eyes even though Yoshi can't see eyes through helmet."

"That's what I like about you Yoshi." Sora chuckled. "You're funny, but loving and generous at the same time."

"Aw, it nothing." Yoshi chuckled sheepishly. "It what Yoshi do best!"

"Come, on! Let's get going!"

The trio arrived at an underground sewer where they saw the present.

"We found it!" Sora cheered. After picking it up, a scroll appeared in front of Sora as well as a note.

"It's a scroll and a note!" Luigi exclaimed. "Read the scroll first!"

Sora read the scroll. "When you wish to be free of heat and be at ease. Give me the power to give a big freeze!" Sora shot an ice spell out of his keyblade. "Whoa! I must have learned a freeze ability!"

"You've learned Blizzard." Luigi told Sora. "We could use this incase we have a fire."

"Or in your case, a fire on your behind." Sora chuckled.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Luigi growled angrily.

"What about note?" Yoshi asked holding up note.

Sora looked at the note and dictated it. "You may have the special clue to free Samus but what about yourselves, you're not safe!"

"Wh-what that mean?" Yoshi asked nervously.

"Not sure, but we should keep our eyes open for the final clue and we better be careful." Luigi said.

The trio made their way back up to the top and encountered more heartless. With Sora and Luigi's new Blizzard move, they easily defeated the fire space heartless. As they ran trying to find the last clue they saw a green pipe on the ceiling.

"A warp pipe!" Luigi said looking up. "Wait here!" Luigi took a giant jump into the pipe. He jumped back down holding the last present.

"You're the best Luigi!" Sora cheered.

"Ah, I know I am." Luigi chuckled.

"Come on! Let's head back!"

The trio headed through the door they first came in and arrived back at the court room. Ridly just smirked upon seeing them.

"Well done boy." Ridly said clapping his hands. "Now we can begin the fun. You even managed to find the secret one. Impressive."

"Let's get this over with so we can rescue Samus!" Sora said.

Seconds later, Sora was at the stand while Luigi and Yoshi were behind him. Four normal space pirates brought up the four presents.

"Now bring forth my evidence!" Ridley said. The pirate placed a fifth one on the ground. "Now you must choose one of them and that will decided who is guilty. If you, your friends, or Samus are chosen you lose and she and the Metriod are mine. As for you three, you will enjoy a slow and painful death." The trio gulped. "But if it's not all of the above, you win, which I doubt!"

"You're just a cheater but I'll win this game!" Sora said with confidence.

"Then choose a box!"

"Kid, our future, better yet everyone's future is resting in your hands." Luigi said. "Pick the wrong box and we're done."

"We're all counting on you Sora." Samus said.

"I'll do my best!"

Sora approached the boxes and observes them.

"_I don't know which one to pick." _Sora thought. _"What if I pick the wrong one? What's going to happen to me and my friends?"_

"_Pick the one on the far right." _The voice whispered in Sora's head.

"_It's that voice again! It sounds so familiar but I can't put my finger on it. I trusted it once and I can do it again." _

Sora pointed to the far right box.

"Are you sure?" Ridley asked. "You don't get another chance!" Sora just nodded. "Now reveal the culprit!" The box opened and a shadow appeared out of it. Ridly's eyes widen and he was in shock."WHAT? BUT HOW?"

"Nice going kid!" Luigi cheered.

Ridly just slammed his claws on to the podium.

"I've won, so release Samus!" Sora demanded.

"No! This wasn't suppose to happen!" Ridly snarled. "I'm not beaten! Not yet!" He then turned to his guards. "Kill them all!"

"Huh?" Sora said in shock. "But we had a deal!" Ridly flew off and a curtain covered Samus's cage and floated in the air.

"What do we do now?" Luigi panicked.

"We have to fight!"

The pirates drew out their swords and the fight began. Sora jumped into the air and clashed with two of them but they both knocked him back. Sora ran at them again and kicked one aside and got into a sword fight with the other one. Yoshi jumped into the air and using his strong legs he gave a hard, quick kick at another pirate. Luigi shot ice and fire spells at a few of them. Sora sweep kicked three away. Sora then looked at the cage floating up. He noticed one of the space pirates holing a remote. Sora tried to run but two pirates smacked him aside knocking him into Luigi and Yoshi.

"Okay, we need a new plan!" Luigi groaned.

"You guys distract the space pirates, while I run for the remote!" Sora instructed. Sora charged at the space pirate. More heatless were about to attack him when Yoshi turned into an egg and rolled the pirates over. Sora jumped into the air and kicked the pirate down with the remote and grabbed it. Sora pressed a button and the cage floated down. Sora slashed through another pirate and kicked two more aside. Five then tackled him, pinning him down. "Help!"

Luigi used the P 3000 to fire an ice spell at the pirates freezing them up. Sora broke through the pirates and the three charged at more pirates. Sora clashed with a few of them and he did a back flip over one and kicked it into three others.

"Kid, we need to finish them off quickly!" Luigi called to Sora. "We'll never catch up to Ridly!"

"Leave it to me!" Sora said. Sora snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and he slashed through all of them at once.

"Wow!" Luigi said. "That move really comes in handy!"

Sora finished off the last of them and he quickly ran over to the cage and pulled off the curtain and gasped in horror. "Guys, come here quick!"

Luigi and Yoshi ran over and they both saw that the cage was empty.

"It empty!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"She must've gotten kidnaped while we were fighting!" Luigi cried.

"Come on!" Sora said. "Ridly went back into the lab with that Metriod, and I bet Samus is there too!"

The trio quickly made their way back into the lab. As they entered, another note appeared on the ground and Sora read it.

"Lose something? In order to find it, you must take a right towards the main generator to where the darkness grows."

"Who keeps giving us these notes?" Luigi asked. "Somebody must love us up there!"

"And somebody must love us down here, too!" Sora said in a panic.

The group noticed Metriod heartless flying at our heros.

"Look out!"

The trio quickly jumped out of the way and Yoshi ate them all up. They ran the right way and opened the door. They arrived in a swampy room with a poison liquid on the ground. Sora jumped and grabbed a branch and jumped over it. Luigi jumped on Yoshi's back and Yoshi shot his tongue at the branch and jumped over. More heartless attacked our heros but they slashed their way through. The next room they arrived in was a giant room with two red switches on a cat walk. In the middle was a giant door and a note floated down from above and Sora grabbed it and read it.

"Looking for the shadows? Activate the switches!" Sora dictated.

"Okay, let's open the switch! It could lead us to Ridly." Luigi said.

As they ran to the door, heartless appeared. Sora jumped over the big heartless and slashed them from behind. Yoshi fired eggs at the space pirate heartless and Luigi sucked up the normal heartless and shot them at other heatless. After plowing their way through the swarm of heartless they jumped onto the catwalk. Sora and Luigi pulled each switch and the giant door opened. They quickly jumped off the catwalk and ran into the door. They arrived at a giant room with two giant glass tubes. One contained the Metriod and the other was a creature with a brain sticking out. In the middle of the room was Ridly pressing a few buttons on a control pad.

"Now, arise Mother Brain, use the power of the Metriod to revive yourself into this world!" Ridly commanded the Mother Brain.

"Ridly Stop!" Sora cried.

"You're too late boy!" Ridley laughed. "As we speak Samus is no longer in this world and soon Mother Brain will be by my side ruling this world!"

"No! We won't let you!"

Sora took his keyblade out and attacked Ridly but he jumped out of the way and landed behind the container containing Mother Brain.

"Fools, you don't know who you're messing with!" Ridly said. "I am Ridly the ultimate space pirate and soon ruler of this world!"

As Ridly talked the Mother Brain in the tube formed a giant body and began growling. Sora and his friends mouths dropped wide open.

"It's m-m-moving." Luigi said nervously to Sora.

Just then the, glass cracked on the tube and broke.

"Oh, no!" Sora cried. "Watch out!"

Mother Brain broke out of the glass and looked down at Ridly.

"Huh?" Ridly asked in shock.

The Mother Brain brought it's foot down on Ridly making a giant hole on the ground. Dust covered the area so no one saw what happened to Ridly under there. The Mother Brain then turned to Sora's group and they drew their weapons.

"Well, this is a fine mess Ridly go us into!" Luigi cried.

"I'm sure we can beat this thing, it may look ugly but it can't be that tough!" Sora said with confidence.

Mother Brain stomped it's foot down sending a major impact at the gang. They all crashed into a wall.

"Kid, why do I even bother." Luigi groaned.

"Heads up!" Yoshi cried.

Mother Brain threw a punch at our heros and they jumped out of the way. Sora ran up a wall and sent a flying kick at Mother Brain. Sora hit Mother Brain but it didn't effect it. It grabbed Sora's leg and threw him into Yoshi and Luigi. It shot a bomb at our heros but Yoshi ate it and spat it back out at Mother Brain exploding on it's head making if fall over. Sora and his friends attacked Mother Brain with everything they've got. Mother Brain then sent out a sonic wave sending our three heros flying into walls. Sora attacked again but the Mother Brain smacked him aside and he fell down.

"We can't beat this thing." Luigi said out of breath.

"We have to keep trying!" Sora said also out of breath.

The Mother Brain opened it's mouth, ready to fire a laser out of it when the Metriod attacked it causing it to growl.

"Look!" Yoshi cried.

"It's trying to help us." Luigi said. "Kid, now's our chance! We can beat this guy while that Metriod is distracting it."

"But..." Sora began.

"We have no choice." Luigi sighed sadly. "The Metriod it sacrificing itself for us and it won't hold out much longer. We've got to do this!"

Sora nodded. "Okay!"

Sora and Luigi shot an ice spell both at the Mother Brain and Metriod causing them to freeze up. Sora threw his keyblade up into the ceiling where it caused a crash and tons of rocks and ruble fell on top of the frozen Mother Brain and Metriod. The ruble fell to the ground creating dust and our heros shielded their eyes. As the dust cleared, Sora walked up to the ruble and looks around. Sora just looked down sadly. Luigi walked up to Sora and pat his back.

"Sorry kid." Luigi said. "There was nothing we could do to save it. It wanted to help us because we helped it. It learned friendship and trust. It put our faith in us and helped us win. It made a brave sacrifice and I suggest we take a moment of silence. "

The trio stood quietly for a minute honoring the Metriod that helped them win but killed itself by doing so. Sora then could see a glow and he looked up. A keyhole appeared in the wall where the Metriod was and Sora walked up to it.

"It's another keyhole!" Sora exclaimed.

"But what do keyhole do?" Yoshi asked.

Just then Sora's keyblade appeared in his hand again and fired a beam at the keyhole causing a locking noise. The keyhole then disappeared with a piece of the Toad Express popping out.

"It's a piece of the Toad Express, just like the one we found at Kongo Bongo." Luigi said observing the piece. "I'm going to hang on to it and we'll show it to Leon later."

"What about Samus?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"I don't know." Sora said. "We would ask Ridly but he was crushed by Mother Brain which means we won't get the answer.

Another note floats down from the sky and Luigi grabbed it. "Another letter from our mysterious helper. I'll read it; 'you may have saved Zebes from Mother Brain but the shadows have taken your friend Samus!"

"No!" Sora cried out.

"Relax, maybe they haven't gotten very far." Luigi said. "Maybe we'll run into her again in another world." Just then Zebes began shaking. "Whoa!"

"Oh, no! The lava thing is starting!" Sora gasped. "If we don't get out of here, we're going to be burned alive."

"No!" Yoshi cried. "Yoshi don't want to be burnt alive."

"I have a plan!" Luigi said arousing with an idea. He then turned to notice Lakitu with the camera. He then called into the camera. "Toadsworth, if you can hear me, get the Toad Express to the top of this building! We shall meet you there!"

"Good idea, but how can we get up there in time?"

"Easy, just follow those broken platforms." Luigi said pointing up.

The trio looked up to notice broken platforms going up. The trio jumped on each one (Just like when Samus had to escape) hurrying as the lava began to rise. At one point Sora almost fell but Yoshi helped him back up. The trio continued to scale the entire building heading up. They finally reached the top floor, wear a glass window was on top. Luigi jumped up and opened the window and climbed out. Yoshi got on Sora's shoulders and reached for Luigi who pulled them up. The lava got very close as they finally made it to the top. The Toad Express then pulled up and the door opened with Toadsworth waving.

"Master Sora! Master Luigi! Yoshi!" Toadsworth called to the trio. "Quickly jump!"

The trio jumped just in time as the lava was about to appear before their feet. The Toad Express flew away into space. Sora and the others removed their helmets and sighed with relief.

"Thanks goodness I can finally get out of this suit." Luigi said running to change.

Sora just looked sadly out the window at the planet being covered by lava. Yoshi patted Sora on the back.

"Don't worry Sora." Yoshi said comfortingly. "Samus will be safe."

"I hope so." Sora sighed.

Luigi walked back out in his original clothes.

"Mama-mia! Am I glad to be out of those." Luigi chuckled. "And no more accidents for me!"

Yoshi snickered and placed his tongue out on the floor and Luigi tripped over it. Sora noticed this and started laughing. Luigi sat up and waved his fist at Yoshi.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Yoshi couldn't resist!" Yoshi laughed.

Soon Luigi joined in laughing and the three were having a good time. Toadsworth just rolled his eyes and chuckled. The ship began to make it's way back towards Isle Delfino...


	10. Return to the Isle of Delfino Part I

**Chapter IX: Back to the Island of Delfino Part I**

It was the next morning aboard the Toad Express. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth were eating breakfast.

"We should be at Isle Delfino within a half hour." Toadsworth announced. "Eat up boys! We need our energy!"

"Yeah!" Yoshi nodded. "Yoshi need lots of it!" Yoshi tapped Luigi's shoulder with his tail and Luigi turned to his left.

"Huh?" Luigi said turning to his left. Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate Luigi's sausages. Luigi turned back and looked down noticing his sausages was gone. "Hey!" He then turned to Yoshi shouting. "Yoshi!"

"It not Yoshi!" Yoshi lied. "Honest!"

Luigi mumbled to himself and turned around to take a sip of his coffee. Yoshi snickered and ate a stack of Luigi's pancakes. Luigi turned back and looked down noticing a stack missing.

"Yoshi, do you have to eat my food all the time?" Luigi groaned.

"It not Yoshi!" Yoshi lied again. "Toadsworth eat it!"

"How dare you accuse me of doing something I didn't do!" Toadsworth said to Yoshi offended.

Luigi lowered his eyes and crossed his arms while Yoshi made a nervous look.

"I'm watching you." Luigi said in a eerie voice. He then turned to Sora. "Hey kid!" Sora was looking out the window with a real glum look. "Kid, are you alright?" Yoshi tried to grab the pancake but Luigi also grabbed it. "Aha! Not this time! Lego my Ego!"

"Um, that's a pancake not a waffle." Toadsworth told Luigi.

"Whatever!" Luigi groaned.

The two played tug-a-war with the pancake and it seemed it could have gone on forever, until Yoshi turned his head towards Sora and noticed he was sniffling. He let go of the pancake which sent Luigi flying into a wall. Luigi sat up and groaned.

"A little earlier to be playing with Yoshi, don't you think Master Luigi?" Toadsworth asked Luigi.

"Yeah!" Luigi groaned.

Yoshi walked up to Sora and jumped into his lap. "Sora?" Sora sobbed a very little sob. "Sora's crying."

"I'm not crying." Sora sniffled wiping his eyes. "I've got something in my eye."

"Yeah, tears." Luigi said approaching the two. "What's wrong Sora?"

"I-I miss Riku and Kairi." Sora said still teary. "I...I...feel like I'll never see them a..a..again!"

Sora sobbed out loud and Luigi made a sad look.

"Sorry." Luigi said softly "We're trying the best we can but we don't have any leads yet on where they are."

Yoshi hugged Sora and talked very softly to him. "Let it all out Sora. It okay to cry."

"But..."

"You're saying big boys don't cry!" Luigi laughed. "Everyone cries, even yours truly has squirt a few tears."

"It nothing to be ashamed of." Yoshi said softly still hugging Sora. "Sora just letting bad things out that he hid deep inside of him."

"I-I'm sorry guys." Sora sniffled. "I didn't mean to cause a scene."

"Sora don't need to apologize." Yoshi said warmly pulling away from Sora.

"It's natural kid." Luigi added. "You miss your friends, just like I miss my brother. I always played with my brother when we were just kids. He was like a best friend to me and although he may have gotten most of the glory, I don't know what I would do without him, so I would cry too." Luigi then got a little upset. "Don't you remember what I told you? This ship runs on happy faces! No frowning and no sad faces!"

"So, Sora no be sad." Yoshi said as he wiped Sora's tears away. "Yoshi and Luigi here to help, and make everything all right."

"They're out there somewhere." Luigi said. "You're just doubting yourself that we can't find them. Remember when we faced Cloud, you never gave up even if the odds were against us."

"Yes Master Sora, and remember how determined you were to save Samus even by risking your own life?" Toadsworth added. "And you're doubting and worrying yourself to death. This isn't the Sora we know."

Sora took Yoshi off his lap and stood up.

"You're right Toadsworth." Sora said smiling. "Riku and Kairi are out there somewhere and I won't rest until they're safe."

"Yeah!" Luigi cheered. "That's the spirit kid!"

"You go Sora!" Yoshi cheered.

"Then what do you say we stop this standing around and finish eating." Toadsworth said. "Your food is getting cold and I bet you're starving to death."

"In the words of Yoshi, I hungry." Sora chuckled.

"Then let's eat!"

Yoshi ran back to the table and grabbed Luigi's plate.

"Hey!" Luigi cried at Yoshi. "Come back here with my pancakes!"

Sora and Toadsworth broke into laughter as Luigi chased Yoshi around the plane. For the next half hour Sora and the group finished eating. The Toad Express began descending into the airport of Isle Delfino. The pilot picked up a walkie talky and talked into it.

"This is the Toad Express, request landing on Delfino Runway." The pilot said into the speaker.

Over the radio a voice could be heard. "Roger, you are clear for landing...Wait! There's graffiti down here! That's a negative, turn the plane around!"

"We can't!" The pilot disagreed. "I'm ten seconds from landing and I can't switch now. Attention passengers!"

Sora and the others looked up at the loudspeaker.

"I wonder what the pilot wants." Sora asked Toadsworth.

"Please sit in your seats and fasten your seatbelts!" The pilot announced. "We will becoming in for a rough landing!"

"I don't like the sound of that!" Luigi gulped.

"Aw, relax Luigi. I'm sure it's nothing bad." Sora said assuring Luigi

Just then the Toad Express landed on the runway and quickly stopped just in time before they hit the newly bigger version of the graffiti seen last time. The halt was so hard that Luigi, Sora, Yoshi, and Toadsworth went flying out of their seats and landed on the ground. The pilot looked out the window and saw he just stopped before he hit the graffiti. He sat back in his seat and sighed.

"_I should've been a dentist." _The Pilot thought. _"I'm getting too old for this."_

Yoshi weakly groaned and looked up. He saw that all the plates were on the ground and broken from the landing.

"We crash." Yoshi said. "At least Yoshi no hurt."

Yoshi looked down to notice he was sitting on Luigi, Toadsworth, and Sora.

"Yeah, we're glad that you're safe." Luigi groaned sarcastically. "Now, how about getting off?"

"Oops, sorry." Yoshi giggled sheepishly. Yoshi jumped off everyone and they all stood up.

"What happened?" Sora exclaimed. "Why did we come in so fast?"

The pilot then walked out and turned to the group.

"Mr. Pilot, what happened?" Toadsworth asked the pilot.

"I'm afraid there was too much graffiti on the runway." the pilot explained. "I had to make a hard landing."

"It hasn't gone away yet?" Luigi gasped. The pilot nodded. "I bet my brother is still being framed."

"Don't worry Luigi." Sora said. "We'll find out who the real culprit is, but first let's find Leon."

"Good idea!" Yoshi nodded.

"I shall go find the princess and meet up with you three later." Toadsworth announced.

"Alright, let's get going!"

The four exited the ship and arrived outside the runway. One of the islanders greeted them.

"Good morning gentlemen." The islander said. "Welcome to Isle Delfino, a tropical paradise." He then looked around seeing the graffiti. "Well, it used to be until Mario ruined it."

"It wasn't my brother!" Luigi protested. "I'm telling you, he's being framed. He would never hurt anyone and try to ruin the ways of life."

"Sure he wouldn't." The islander said sarcastically. "Look, many people have given the same description and that describes your brother so I say deal with it! Your brother is a criminal!"

"Why you!"

Luigi tried to attack the islander but Sora and Yoshi held him back. "Easy boy! Easy!"

The islander ran for it as fast as he could. Toadsworth runs over to the group.

"Goodness!" Toadsworth cried running up to the trio. "Master Luigi! Calm down!"

"Take it easy man!" Sora shouted to Luigi. "I believe that your brother isn't the culprit. I've seen him too, up close in person. We're here to help you and we need you to calm down."

Luigi calmed down and sighed. "Sorry kid. I'm just so mad at the fact that my brother did it. I just want to believe he didn't do it. Maybe the islanders were right, my brother did cause this mess."

Yoshi took Luigi's hand and licked his face. "Aw, Yoshi believe Luigi."

"I believe you too, Master Luigi." Toadsworth said.

"Thanks everyone." Luigi smiled.

"We're in this together! Nothing can stop us" Sora said putting his hand on Luigi's hand. "All for one..."

Yoshi put his tail on top of Sora's hand.

"And all for dinner." Yoshi giggled.

Sora and Luigi both started laughing and even Toadsworth chortled.

"Thanks guys!" Luigi smiled. "I needed that! Together we'll find out who is really causing all this."

"Then what do you say we get over to the island then and find Leon?" Sora announced.

The four headed over to the docking bay and boarded the boat. As they sat down they got greeted by an old friend.

"Hey Sora!" Kapp'n excitedly said. "Long time no see!"

"It's great to see you again!" Sora said shaking Kapp'n's hand

"Who's the turtle kid?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Oh, Kapp'n, I want you to meet my friends. These are Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth." Sora said introducing his friends.

"Nice to meet you all." Kapp'n said with a smile. "Any friends of Sora, is a friend of mine."

"Say, you're that turtle who rows that boat." Toadsworth pointed out. "Don't you usually do that?"

"Got tired of rowing today." Kapp'n responded. "Luckily, this boat goes back forth and it doesn't cost a thing. So I just cruse along and enjoy the view. By the way, rumor has it that you four have been heading off into other worlds. Tell me about."

"Sure, it all started with..." Sora began. Luigi then grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him down and whispered in his ear.

"Kid! We can't tell him about any of the worlds we visited or else we'd be disrupting the world order." Luigi whispered angrily.

"Oh, right." Sora whispered back. He then sat up and turned to Kapp'n. "Sorry, I can't really..."

"That's okay Sora." Kapp'n smiled warmly. "It would just mess things up if you told me, but I'm sure you got your hands full with all of this."

About ten minutes later, the boat pulled into the dock and Sora and his friends got ready to leave.

"We're off!" Sora announced. "Nice seeing you again Kapp'n. We have to find our friends."

"Good luck to you all and be careful out there." Kapp'n said. "That graffiti has gotten worse and many people have gotten hurt. And if you see Tom Nook, tell him I said hi."

"Okay." Yoshi nodded.

The four got off the boat and began to walk into to town. As they walked in, Sora noticed many of the citizens giving them dirty looks.

"Something tells me this isn't a good welcome wagon." Sora said nervously.

"They're probably just tired." Luigi assumed.

The group quickly walked off to the harbor to get away from the crowd. As they arrived at the harbor Sora stopped and realized something.

"Hey guys, I just remembered that we have to get the Pikmin to Louie and Captain Olimar!" Sora said taking the box out of his pocket. "If we don't find them all, they will die."

"Then we better hurry!" Luigi said.

"I'll go and find the princess and meet up with you three later." Toadsworth said heading off in another direction.

"Bye, bye!" Yoshi said waving to Toadsworth.

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi headed off to the harbor. However, as they left the heartless showed up.

"They're back!" Sora cried.

Sora swiped at a few of the heartless and rolled pass a few of them. He kicked one aside and jumped over another one. Luigi shot ice spells at a few of them freezing them up and Yoshi threw a few eggs at the heartless destroying them. After they defeated all of them, the group headed off towards the harbor.

Meanwhile, at the harbor, Olimar was pacing around back and forth while Louie sat on a box.

"Louie, I think I'm going to have a panic attack." Olimar said. "What if our young friend can't find the Pikmin in time?"

"Calm down sir!" Louie calmly said. "We have to trust our young friend. He seemed pretty confident in finding the Pikmin."

"But what if he's too late by time he even finds one?" "Olimar panicked. "We'll die Louie! We'll die Louie!" Louie grabbed Olimar suit by the collar and shook him.

"Sir, snap out of it!" Louie yelled at Olimar. "You've lost your mind!"

Sora's group showed up seeing Louie shaking Olimar and Luigi backed up. "Maybe this isn't a good time!"

"No! We have to get it done!" Sora snapped at Luigi. "Captain Olimar!"

The two stopped and turned to see Sora's group. They both quickly ran over to greet them.

"Sora!" Olimar cried. "Thank goodness you're back!"

"We interrupted anything?" Yoshi asked.

"Oh, no nothing." Olimar chuckled nervously. "Louie was just showing me some wrestling moves from our home planet. Right, Louie?"

"Oh, yes! Right, sir!" Louie nodded.

"We've found a group of the Pikmin!" Sora said holding up the box.

"You did?" Olimar asked excitedly.

Sora released the box and a group of Pikmin came flying out. They landed all over the place and looked around curiously. They then saw Olimar and Louie's ship and they all jumped over to it and began fixing it.

"Louie! This is amazing!" Olimar exclaimed. "The Pikmin are actually fixing our ship."

"But sir, we still need all 99 of them." Louie pointed out.

"You're right Louie, so that's were Sora comes in." Olimar said turning to Sora. "Sora, we can't thank you enough. We're on our way to getting off this world and going home! However, we still need more Pikmin and I'm depending on you and your friends to find them all."

"Don't worry, you can count on Luigi." Luigi chuckled.

"So take this as a thanks!"

Louie threw a bag to Sora who caught it. The group opened the bag and saw equipment for the Toad Express.

"Hey, this stuff could come in handy for us later." Luigi said observing the items. "I'll hang on to it."

"Sora, we're running out of time, we need those Pikmin as soon as possible." Olimar said.

"Yoshi keep eye open!" Yoshi said cupping his hand around one of his eyes.

"Don't worry sir. We won't rest until we find all of them." Sora said with confidence.

Olimar shook Sora's hand. "Thank you so much. You truly are such a nice boy and our fate is in your hands."

"Come on, kid! Let's go find Leon!" Luigi said impatiently. "We'll worry about the Pikmin later."

"Okay, we'll see you two again then." Sora said waving to the space men. The group walked off in search of Leon.

"Louie, that kid is our ray of hope." Olimar said. He then noticed his face was red. "Oh, Louie, I do believe I am getting burned by the sun." Olimar ran around screaming.

Louie just rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Sora and the other reached the market place and to their left Sora saw Yuffie.

"Yuffie!" Sora cried happily.

"Hey, guys! Nice to see you again." Yuffie said walking up to the group. "How's the quest going?"

"Good." Yoshi nodded Yoshi then pretended to fight. "Yoshi fight bad guys, giving them a kick, boom, Yah!" He then punched Luigi in the face.

"Ow!" Luigi then falls over. "Hey!"

"Oops, sorry Luigi." Yoshi gulped.

"Yuffie, do you know where we can find Leon?" Sora asked Yuffie. "We really need to speak with him!"

"Hm, last I checked he went over to his secret training area." Yuffie pondered. "He has to stay in shape ya know."

"How do we get there?" Luigi asked.

"Go to the center of town and find a blue panel on the ground." Yuffie explained. "Go through it and take a right, you should find an underwater passageway that leads to the training ground."

"W-water?" Yoshi asked nervously. "Yoshi no like water."

"You don't?"

"It's so hard to give this kid a bath." Luigi groaned.

"Don't worry Yoshi." Sora said warmly taking Yoshi's hand. "We'll help you."

"Thanks Sora." Yoshi smiled.

"I have to go see Cid, so I'll see you around." Yuffie said. "Just be careful, the heartless are terrorizing the island and some of them are coming from that graffiti."

"We'll be careful!" Sora nodded.

The trio said good-bye and headed off. On the way the group encountered heartless from not only this world, but the space pirate heartless from Zebes. Sora attacked with his keyblade, but they dodged the attack and all rammed him into a wall. Luigi shot a thunder spell knocking the heartless away from Sora. Sora slashed the green pirates before they could recover their allies. Yoshi ate one of the pirates and shot it at a few like a bowling ball hitting pins. Luigi took off the P 3000 and used his Luigi Tornado by spinning his body and punched a group of heartless aside. Sora threw his keyblade at a group of heartless knocking them down. Taking the chance, the trio quickly made a run for it. They ran through the group of heartless, knocking any away that were in their path. They got to the center of town where they encountered more heartless. Sora kicked a few away and Luigi burned a few.

"They don't seem to stop!" Luigi yelled.

"Forget about them, the panel is just ahead so keep running!" Sora shouted.

Sora and the gang made it to the panel and Sora stomped on the panel. Sora and Yoshi jumped in while Luigi held the heartless off. There were heartless surrounding him from all corners.

"This is the end for me." Luigi said nervously. He then covered his eyes. "Farewell cruel world!" Sora and Yoshi's hands came out and grabbed Luigi's legs pulling him in. "Mama-mia!"

The trio fell through the panel screaming. They then landed in the water on the ground causing a splash. The trio stood up in the water and groaned.

"Phew!" Sora sighed wiping his forehead. "We lost them!"

"That good." Yoshi sighed.

"Thanks Sora, thanks Yoshi." Luigi said with a smile. "You two saved my life."

"No prob!" Sora chuckled. "Follow me, we're almost to Leon."

The trio took a right and saw a pathway filled with water. Yoshi gulped upon seeing it and cowered behind Luigi.

"Yoshi can't go in there!" Yoshi cried. "Yoshi no like water! Yoshi stay here and wait for Sora and Luigi!"

Sora made a disappointed look. "But we're a team, we need to stick together...

"So you really don't want to go in kid?" Luigi interrupted.

"No!" Yoshi said stubbornly.

"Suit yourself." Luigi shrugged with a sigh. "Come on, Sora."

"But.."

Luigi whispered into Sora's ear. "I have a plan, just do as I do." Sora just nodded. Luigi then talked in a singy-songy voice. "Okay Yoshi, we'll leave you here, all by your lonesome self, in the dark."

Sora and Luigi began walking into the water. Yoshi looked around the dark area whimpering. He could hear whistling sounds from the wind but he didn't know that.

"Ooh, what that?" Yoshi whimpered.

Luigi and Sora were at chest level in the water and Luigi put his hand up pointing 3 fingers out and counted down quietly to Sora.

"3...2...1.." Luigi whispered.

Yoshi ran into the water shouting. "Wait! Luigi and Sora no leave Yoshi!"

"What can I say, he never wants to be alone. I always do that to him." Luigi chuckled.

"That's understandable." Sora nodded.

The trio dived into the water and swam through a path. The tunnel wasn't very long so they were able to get through pretty quickly. They then saw the water getting lower and saw a ramp going up. They got out of the water and gasped for air.

"Yoshi never do that again." Yoshi groaned.

"Too bad kid. This is our only way out." Luigi said.

"Aw!" Yoshi moaned.

Sora walked up the ramp and looks around. The cave was green with giant stones in the ground. Sora noticed a weird panel with a sun and a moon. Sora then noticed a dry part of the cave that was a little above the two inches of water they stood on. He could see Leon swinging his gunblade around and next to him was Arieth watching.

"Hey Leon!" Sora called out.

Leon stopped swinging and looked to see Sora's group and smiled. "Well, nice to see you again. You look like you've goten a lot stronger since we last met!"

"Yep!" Luigi laughed. "We've been kicking butt and killing heartless left and right!"

"Yeah, while you've been cowering behind a tree!" Sora joked. Sora and Yoshi started laughing.

"Hey!" Luigi shouted at Sora.

"Just kidding!" Sora laughed.

Leon walked over to his gym back and pulled out a towel and wiped his face.

"So, what brings you three by?" Leon asked our heros.

For the next hour Sora went on talking about the worlds they have visited. Mentioning the people they've met, including Cloud which caught Arieth's attention.

"Cloud is alive?" She asked in surprise.

"Arieth know Cloud?" Yoshi asked.

"It's a long story." Leon said. "It's not something we should talk about at the moment. But what we can tell you is that Cloud came from our own world."

"Sora, if you see him again could you tell him to be careful?" Arieth pleaded.

"Don't worry, we will." Sora nodded. "So anyways..." Sora continued on and then he mentioned the keyhole. "And then it sealed it and locked automatically. And I don't know why. Do you know what it means?"

"Is it bad?" Luigi gulped.

"Actually, I was hoping that would happen." Leon said. "The keyhole is in all worlds, the heartless enter it and they begin eating away at the heart of the world."

"Heart of the world?" Sora asked in confusion.

"Stated in one of Ansem's reports was that when a keyhole was found, inside of it rests the heart of that world and the heartless eat away at it." Leon explained.

"So what happens to it?" Sora wondered.

"The world is shattered and destroyed." Arieth sighed sadly.

Sora and his friends gasped in horror. "What?"

"That terrible!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"_That's why my island was destroyed!" _Sora thought in horror. He then put his head down and sighed sadly. _"If I only knew sooner, I could have saved my world, Riku and Kairi." _

Yoshi put his arm around Sora. "Aw, it okay Sora. Yoshi here for Sora." Yoshi licked Sora's face and he looked up and smiled.

"Don't worry kid." Luigi smirked. "We're going to do everything we can to help."

"Now you understand why you're the only one who can save us." Leon said. "As the chosen one of the key, you are the only one to complete that task."

"I don't know..."

"Trust me, seeing other worlds will serve you well." Leon chuckled

"He's right kid." Luigi agreed.

"Yoshi, Luigi, and Sora need to find Mario and Sora's friends." Yoshi added.

Sora looked at his keyblade for a few seconds and then smiled. He stood up with a confident look and held the keyblade up in the air.

"Alright! I'll do it!" Sora cried.

"Yeah!"

"That's the Spirit kid!"

Leon stood up and began to walk away.

"I have confidence in you Sora, I know you will be the one to stop the darkness." Leon said.

Luigi elbowed Sora causing him to gasp and he then pulled out the pieces of the Toad Express.

"By the way Leon, we found this odd looking piece part for the Toad Express when we sealed the keyhole." Sora said showing Leon the piece. "Have an idea on how to use it?"

Leon looked at the piece with confusion and sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have too much knowledge on these things, so I can't help you there."

"But I'm sure Cid could figure it out." Arieth said giving the group hope.

"Then we'll go see him!" Luigi cried.

"Oh, and take this too!" Leon called out to Sora as he began to leave.

Leon threw Sora a gem with a red color. Sora catches it and looks at it.

"What's this?"

"It's called a PSI gem, it has been my good luck charm and now I pass it onto you to hold onto." Leon smiled. "I heard that it has amazing power and I'm not sure how it works, but I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Right." Sora nodded. He then turned to his friends. "Come, on, guys! We have no time to waste!"

The trio headed out through the underwater passage again. Deciding not to waste anytime Luigi forced Yoshi through the water. As they arrived back outside from the panel more heartless attacked. Sora did a round house kick knocking a few back. Yoshi ate up one and turned it into an egg and shot it at another one. Luigi shot thunder spells at a few of them knocking them back. Sora jumped on one's head and another attacked causing Sora to jump and the heartless killed the other heartless that he jumped off. After the trio finished off the remaining heartless, they headed into town and walked into the Accessory shop. As they entered they saw Cid taking a sip of his coffee and reading his newspaper. He heard the bell on the door ring when they opened the door and he put his paper down as he saw them.

"Hey, long time no see kid." Cid greeted the trio.

"How are things Cid?" Sora asked.

"Ah, business is a slow as ever." Cid groaned. "And I envy Nook because he's been making so much dough from his item shop that his store got extend to as big as a CVS!"

Just then the sound of a motorcycle could be heard. "What the heck was that?"

Cid looked at the door and saw a person on a motorcycle driving straight at the door. "Look out!"

Sora and his group quickly jumped out of the way as the person on the motorcycle pushed through the door and stopped at the front desk. The rider wore a blue and white striped jumpsuit and had a white helmet.

"Hey, man! Can I get some speed rings for my cycle?" The motorist asked. "I need it fast, I'm in the middle of a race!"

"What do I look like? A drive-through?" Cid growled. "You Excitebike riders never get off your butts off for one second. If you drive this thing through here again, I'm going to take that bike and give you the worse bruise you've ever seen!"

"Um, I'll try to remember that." The Biker gulped nervously. "Could I get my stuff please?"

Cid went through his inventory and pulled out a white bag and handed it to the biker. The biker then payed Cid and got the bag.

"Ooh, Yoshi love motorcycle!" Yoshi said excitedly admiring the bike. "Can Yoshi ride one Luigi?"

"We'll talk about it when you're older." Luigi chuckled.

"Aw!" Yoshi whined.

"Thanks again old man!" The Biker said starting up his engine.

"JUST GET OUT AND DON"T COME BACK WITH THAT HUNK OF JUNK!" Cid shouted angrily.

The biker's cycle took off and he drove out of the building. Cid groaned and Sora approached the desk.

"You okay Cid?" Sora asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cid groaned. "No more red wine before bed. So, kid what brings you by?" Sora pulled out the Toad Express piece and handed it to Cid. "Well, if it isn't a Toad Express piece!" Cid examined the piece for a few seconds. "Hm, well I'll be! These are rare navigation ones."

"What does that kind do?" Luigi asked.

Cid then started laughing. "What are you kidding me? You three are flying around in a giant airplane made of special material and you don't know what this thing does? Amateurs! Pinheads! This ain't no toy!"

"Listen, we can't understand everything!" Sora said angrily at Cid. "So, what? We have to use the Toad Express, there's no other option!"

"Whoa, calm down kid! I didn't know!" Cid cried nervously. "Sorry. Guess I can lend you hand and install this thing!"

"That's great!" Sora cheered. "You rock Cid!"

"But first..."

"Why is there a catch for everything?" Luigi whined.

"Listen! How would you like to make over three-hundred shipments a day?" Cid yelled at Luigi. "Don't mess with me, you don't want to see me in my really angry mood!"

Luigi jumped into Yoshi's arms.

"Cid, take it easy!" Sora cried. "He was kidding! Um, what's the problem?"

"You see we need to discuss your payment." Cid said. "But since you're doing this to save our butts, I'll let you run an errand for me."

"Sure, I used to do it on my island." Sora chuckled. "You could call me errand boy."

"I could get you a part-time job here if you want." Cid said.

"Um, that's alright, I think I'll pass. So, what needs to be delivered?"

Cid went through his storage closet and pulled out an old book. It had a green hard cover but had no name. Yoshi looked at the book funny.

"_Yoshi feel like he seen book before." _Yoshi thought

"Just this old book. It's real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was." Cid explained. "But overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Anyway's take this for me and that will count as your payment. I'm not as cheap as Nook is, so be thankful."

"Okay, so where do we take it?" Sora asked while taking the book.

"You'll need to go Pinna park for that." Cid explained. "There's an old house on the edge of the beach part. In there is where the book can go and I'm sure someone should be there. At least I think. And while you're doing that I'll get to work on the Toad Express."

"Thanks!" Luigi said. "Let's a go!"

The trio headed off to Pinna Park. On the way they encountered more heartless but our heros made quick work of them. Luigi and Yoshi showed Sora the cannon they used to get to Pinna Park last time. (Since Sora was riding waves with Ryota) Luigi payed the clerk at the entry desk and the trio jumped in and blasted off to the island at super fast speed. About a minute later the trio landed in the water right towards Pinna Park. They came up on shore and to their left noticed a Japanese looking house with a symbol in front.

"Wow, that's something you don't see everyday." Luigi said commenting on the house.

"Why that house funny Sora?" Yoshi asked.

"That's the kind of houses Japanese people live in." Sora explained. "I wonder who lives there?"

"Let's go find out!" Luigi said.

The trio ran over to the house. As luck would have it, no heartless were in sight but they were still alert just in case. Sora knocked on the door but no one answered. All of a sudden the door creaked open.

"A ghost!" Yoshi exclaimed. He jumped into Luigi's arms and they fell over. Sora just chuckled.

"Hey, be careful! I have a bad back!" Luigi said angrily at Yoshi.

"Sorry, Luigi."

"Don't worry Yoshi." Sora chuckled. "It was just the wind. Come on, let's go in!"

"We can't do that!" Luigi pointed out. "We'd be freeloading!"

"Listen, we walk in minding our own business, put the book down, leave a note and hightail it out of here!" Sora said. Sora walked into the house and Yoshi followed.

"That kid is going to be the destruction of me." Luigi muttered under his breath.

The trio walked into the house and noticed a wooden empty space and a table in the middle.

"Wow! Some one needs to do some redecorating, huh?" Sora commented on the inside of the house.

"There isn't even any furniture in here." Luigi said observing the room.

Luigi and Yoshi walked off while Sora looked around on his own. All of a sudden he heard a very familiar voice.

"There's something about this empty, musty, place that reminds me of home." said a female voice. Sora turned to see Kairi standing in front of him with her hands behind her lower back. "It reminds me of the secret place where we would scribble on the walls. Boy, the three of us sure had some fun. You didn't forget did you?"

"K-Kairi?" Sora asked in confusion. "Is that you?"

"Sora?"

Sora turned to notice Yoshi and Luigi looking at him funny.

"Sora, you okay kid?" Luigi asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine but..." Sora turned back to where Kairi was but to his surprise saw no one. _"What's wrong with me? Have I lost it? I could have sworn that was Kairi, or maybe I miss her so much I can't get her out of my head."_

"Sora?" Yoshi asked again with concern.

"Don't worry! I'm fine!" Sora assured Yoshi.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" A voice chortled. "You've arrived earlier then I expected!"

"Who there?" Yoshi whimpered.

Everyone turned to see an old man with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard. He wore a red and blue shirt with a light blue leather shirt, light blue pants, and giant wooden sandals. His eyes looked like they were always closed.

"Great, I told you kid we would get it!" Luigi said angrily at Sora.

"Oh, no, I was expecting you three here but not this earlier." The man chortled

"What? Y-you knew we were coming?" Sora exclaimed.

"Oh, but of course." The man said.

"Are you a heartless then?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"How are you sure, he doesn't look like one?" Luigi countered Sora's comment.

"Good heavens, I'm no heartless." The man chortled. "My name is Wiseman, a scientist and martial arts trainer. I'm usually at home working on my next big fighting robot but..."

"Wiseman make giant robots!" Yoshi cried in surprise.

"Well it's a hobby actually." Wiseman chuckled with a blush. "So anyways I've come back to my home. Home sweet home to help you Luigi, Yoshi."

"Wait, Gramps, how do you know our names?" Luigi asked in shock.

"Your brother requested my help." Wiseman responded.

"Mario?" Yoshi said.

"But of course and you young man, who might you be?"

"My name is Sora."

"Excellent, you found the key bearer." Wiseman said noticing Sora holding the keyblade.

"So what Mario ask Wiseman to do?" Yoshi wondered.

"I'll tell you that after I make this a little more like a home." Wiseman said. "Impact!"

Just then the roof opened up and everyone looked up to see the face of a giant robot with a big smile.

"What the heck is that?" Sora exclaimed.

"That's my giant robot Impact." Wiseman chortled again. "He should get the job done. Would you three mind moving out of the way?"

Everyone looked up to see Impact dropping furniture in. The trio screamed and ram out of the way. While they ran a cute little kitten doll managed to hit Luigi in the head.

"Ow!"

Furniture and books dropped down from the sky and landed perfectly in place. Lamps landed on hooks, and books landed on book shelves. In minutes the empty room look like a Japanese home.

"Thank you, Impact! That looks much better." Wiseman thanked his robot. "You three can come back now." Sora's group re-entered with stunned looks but then came to remembering what they needed to do. "Surprised my friends? You should be, because that's not the only thing Impact can do."

"Man, I wish I had one of those to clean up my room." Sora chuckled. "So why did Mario request your help?"

"Simple, I'm here to increase your skills in the art of magic." Wiseman explained. "Anytime you like, I can teach your how to hone in on your skills. Just let me know when you would like to start." Just then knocking could be heard at the door. "Oh yes, the other help has just arrived."

"What other help?"" Sora asked.

The door opened and a witch doctor looking person enters with a bag. He had a skull mask, feathers on the top of his head, pink legs, and a straw skirt.

"Who you?" Yoshi asked the man.

"Me, Mumbo Jumbo." The Witch Doctor responded. "Me here to offer help to boy, dinosaur, and plumber. If you need Mumbo, me be at Witch Doctor chair."

"Great, another guy to talk in the third person." Luigi groaned under his breath.

"He can be a bit annoying, but he is here to help you kids out." Wiseman said. "If you need me, I shall be at my desk. I'll do whatever I can to help."

Sora then remembered the book Cid gave him. "By the way the reason we're here is because Cid had a book that needed to be delivered to you."

Sora hands Wiseman the book and Wiseman smiles.

"Oh, thank you! I've been wondering when Cid would be finished with this." Wiseman said. "I bet your wondering what this book is or about, aren't you?" The trio nodded. "Well I don't know what it is either. It mysteriously showed up in my bag while I was traveling, so it's not mine. It was such a curious book, so I asked Cid to repair it for me. I'll put it over on my desk." He walked over to his desk and put it down. "You three are welcomed to look at it. This book holds a great secret. I heard that the missing pages will unlock it. Give Cid my regards for fixing it up."

"By the way, Leon gave us this weird gem." Sora said holding up the gem. "Have any idea what it does?"

"Mumbo Jumbo can answer that question." Called Mumbo Jumbo. Sora's group walked over to Mumbo and Sora handed him the Gem. "Poor thing, trapped in here."

"Someone actually in there." Yoshi gasped.

"He turn into a summon gem." Mumbo Jumbo said.

"What's a summon gem?"

"Person live in a world that was destroyed by darkness." Mumbo Jumbo explained. "Although. world destroyed, person's heart strong enough to survive. So it turned into a gem."

"Can it regain itself?" Luigi asked.

"Only spirit, now observe!" Mumbo Cried. He raised his staff and tapped the gem and it glowed red.

"What happened?" Yoshi asked curiously.

"His spirit revived, and you can call him to help you. But only for a short time. If you find any more, bring them to Mumbo. When their world restored, they will return to world. Please find them, Sora."

"Don't worry, I assure you we'll find them." Sora said. He then turned to Wiseman. "We'll return later. We have to get going."

"Go see Cid before doing anything else. I just got a call from him." Wiseman said. "He just went over to a small house by Pinna Park. Just go inside Pinna park and look around for a small house. You should see it."

"Alright then and thanks again." Luigi waved to Wiseman as they left.

"Good kids." Wiseman said. "Although, I wish the boy could wear something a little more decent."

Sora's group headed over to Pinna Park unaware of the turn of events that were about to happen.

**To be Continued...**


	11. Delfino Secrets Part II

**Chapter X: Delfino Secrets Part II**

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi made their way towards the entrance of Pinna Park. On the way they encountered more heartless but disposed of them pretty quickly. After destroying the heartless, our heros headed inside. As they arrived inside they noticed almost no citizens in the park.

"Where is everybody?" Sora wondered. "It looks like a ghost town."

"Ghosts?" Yoshi whimpered. "Where?"

"No, Yoshi, a ghost town is like where there is nobody around in one big area." Sora chuckled.

"Oh! Yoshi knew that." Yoshi giggled.

Sora rolled his eyes with a smile and then looked around. "Guess, we're the only ones here."

"But don't worry, we have some uninvited guests!" Luigi gulped nervously.

The group noticed two shadows approaching them. Sora and his friends got ready to fight when all of a sudden they got destroyed.

"Wh-what happened! What killed them!"

Sora looked up and his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. He could see a white haired figure in the shadows. He walked out of the shadows and the figure was non other then Riku.

"There you are!" Riku said. "You're alive! I was about to give up hope I wouldn't find you!"

Sora ran over to Riku teary-eyed and grabbed his cheeks and moved them around.

"Riku! Is that really you?" Sora cried.

"Hey, cut it out you idiot, of course it's me!" Riku said pushing Sora back.

"Am I going crazy?" Sora said. "I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

"Hope not!" Riku chuckled brushing his hair. "Man, it took me forever to find you."

"Riku!" Sora cried. Sora gave Riku a friendly hug. "I finally found you!"

Riku turned Sora around and put his arm around Sora's neck. "Noogie!" He rubbed Sora's head and the friends started laughing. Luigi and Yoshi both smiled

"See kid, you never gave up and you found your friend." Luigi smiled.

Sora pulled away from Riku and turned to Luigi. "And I couldn't have done it without you guys, thanks."

"Aw, it nothin'." Yoshi blushed.

"Wow, this place looks down in the dumps." Riku said looking around the park. "I was expecting a bigger crowd here. So, Sora you alright? You look like a lot has happened!"

"Well Riku, a lot's been happening while we were apart like..." Sora then gasped upon realizing something. "Wait! Where's Kairi? Is she with you?"

"I thought she was with you!" Riku responded.

Sora looked down and made a sad look and sighed.

"Where could she be?" Sora asked himself sadly.

Riku put his hands on Sora's shoulders. "Hey, don't worry man, I'm sure she's fine. If the two of us made it off, then I'm sure she did. Maybe she's looking for us, who knows." Riku walked away from the group. "We're finally free. We can do what we want. Just think of it Sora, our prayers have been answered. We can travel to all worlds!"

"But we said all three of us would go!" Sora pointed out in anger.

"Calm down! We'd find her!" Riku snapped. "Sorry, didn't mean to overreact. Don't worry, just leave everything to me..." Unknown to Riku a shadow was behind him ready to pounce him. "We'll be together soon, you see I know this-"

The shadow jumped into the air but then Sora dashes at fast speed and slashed it away destroying it. Everyone looked at Sora with surprised faces.

"_Amazing! He's so fast!" _Luigi thought with amazement.

Sora turned to Riku with a smirk and put the keyblade up.

"So tell me, leave it to who?" Sora smirked.

"Sora, how did you-?" Riku asked confused.

"You see Riku, I've gotten a lot stronger and I have had these two to help me find you." Sora said referring to Luigi and Yoshi. "Trust me these guys made my adventure fun."

Riku looked at Sora's allies with a funny look. "Who are they?"

Luigi then stepped forward clearing his throat. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is..."

"We've traveled to so many worlds trying to find you!" Sora interrupted. "I've got a lot stronger too, so I think can handle this!"

"Is that so?" Riku asked raising his eyebrow.

Yoshi jumped onto Sora's back and put his arms around his neck.

"Ooh and guess what, Sora the keyblade master!" Yoshi said.

"Who would've thought it." Luigi said.

Sora grabbed Luigi by the shirt collar and held him. "You better take that back or ELSE!"

"Hey! I was only kidding!" Luigi panicked.

"So this thing is called a keyblade?" Called Riku.

Everyone turned to see Riku holding Sora's keyblade.

"How did you..why did you...give it back!" Sora demanded.

Sora tried to grab the keyblade from Riku but he walked back causing Sora to fall down. Riku examined the keyblade.

"Remarkable craftsmanship." Riku said observing the keyblade. "A sword and a key, pretty odd combination. Still pretty ingenious. I have no interest in taking this thing, I have my own weapon. Here! Catch!"

Riku threw the keyblade to Sora and he caught it.

"Thanks, I guess." Sora said confused. "Alright, so you're coming with us then right? And we fly first class to other worlds in this awesome plane! Come on, we'll have a blast! With you on our team, the heartless won't stand one chance!"

"Hold on kid!" Luigi said. "He can't come with us!"

Sora turned to Luigi with an angry look. "W-why not?"

"Because!"

"Because is no answer, because why!"

"I have my reasons!" Luigi snapped.

"You have to!" Sora objected. "He's my friend! He's like a brother! He's..he's..."

"He's gone!" Yoshi exclaimed.

Everyone turned to see that Riku was nowhere in sight. Sora ran around the park looking for him.

"Riku! Riku! Riku, where are you?" Sora cried. Sora and the others ran up a hill towards where a little white beach house was. They got about half way there and they then stopped to catch their breath. "He disappeared. Nice going Luigi!"

"Sorry kid." Luigi said sadly. "I didn't know how serious you were, he would've probably got in our way."

Yoshi took Sora's hand and licked it.

"Don't worry Yoshi." Sora smiled petting Yoshi's head. "I'm fine. At least Riku's alright, alive and well."

"Well kid, that's one down and one to go." Luigi said.

"You're right!" Sora said with confidence. "And who knows, maybe we'll run into Kairi soon."

"I think we better run, look!" Luigi cried.

Everyone turned to see tons of heartless coming towards them.

"That's an awful lot!" Sora cried. "We've never faced that many!"

"Have an idea?" Yoshi asked Luigi.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Luigi panicked.

Sora remembered the summon gem and took it out of his pocket.

"Mr. Mumbo said we can call on the summon when we need help." Sora said. "Maybe, now would be a good time to put it to good use!"

"Alright, get to it then!" Luigi said impatiently.

"Hurry!" Yoshi said referring to the heartless closing in.

Sora threw the summon gem in the air and Sora's keyblade began glowing. It fired a white light at the gem and the gem pulled Yoshi and Luigi into it screaming.

"Guys!" Sora cried.

The gem flashed and a young boy came out in their place. He was a short boy who wore a blue and yellow striped t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and red shoes. He also wore a brown backpack and a red baseball cap on sideways. The boy looked around in confusion.

"Wh-where am I?" The boy wondered looking around. "Last thing I remember was fighting those black creatures, and then poof I ended up here. And now I see more of them in front of me!"

"Hey!" Sora called to the boy. The boy turned to Sora. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ness!" The boy responded. "Do you know what's going on here?"

"I could explain, but first I need to take those guys down!"

Ness turned to notice the heartless and smirked. "Ha! Just leave these guys to me!" The heartless charged at Ness and Ness put his hands out. "PK fire!"

Ness fired a little electric bolt which bursts into flames destroying a portion of the heartless. Sora stood there with a shocked look. More came and Ness held out his hands and knocked them back. He jumped into the air and put his hands out.

"PK Flash!" He cried.

Ness fired a giant energy wave at the heartless destroying the rest of them. Sora just looked on in amazement as Ness rids the area of the heartless.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Sora said amazed. "How did you do that?"

"I was taught the art of PSI." Ness explained. "I can use psychic powers to do almost anything. But now that I got rid of the black creatures, could you explain what's going on here?"

"Oh, right! My name is Sora and your world was destroyed by a group of creatures known as the heartless." Sora explained.

Ness gasped in horror upon hearing that. "Y-you mean it?" Sora nodded. "My friends and my family are gone, I don't understand how this could have happened."

"It's kind of a long story, but basically your heart was strong enough to survive and was imprisoned in this gem." Sora continued holding up the gem. "A witch doctor named Mumbo Jumbo released you to help us fight the heartless. But you'll only be around for a limited time and what I figure is that in order to summon you my friends Luigi and Yoshi have to be locked in the stone for a short time. We need you to help us save the worlds from darkness."

"So am I here to help you fight these things to save these worlds?" Ness asked. Sora nodded again. "Well, you have my full cooperation. I'll help you fight those creatures that took my friends and family away."

"And if we can stop the heartless once and for all, we could revive your world." Sora concluded.

"Then there's hope!" Ness cried. "I'll fight then Sora. My psychic powers can assist you, just call me when you need me!" Just then the gem glowed and Ness began to disappear. "Well, looks like my time is up. I'm so glad to make a new friend."

"Me too." Sora smiled.

"I'm always here if you need me." Ness said as his spirt disappeared back into the gem. When the light completely vanished the stone popped Luigi and Yoshi back out.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried.

"Ahhhh!" Yoshi cried.

Both of them landed on the ground and Sora ran up to them.

"Are you two alright?" Sora asked concerned.

"What happened?" Luigi asked in a daze.

"I'll explain on the way up to the house."

Sora told Luigi and Yoshi about their new friend Ness as they made their way to the house. As they finally reached it, Sora knocked on the door and Yuffie answers it.

"Hey!" Yuffie said greeting the trio.

"Hi Yuffie!" Sora said greeting back. "Where's Cid?"

"He's over here with the others." Yuffie responded. "Follow me!"

Sora's group and Yuffie arrived at a room with a bed and a small table where Cid, Leon, and Arieth were sitting.

"Wow, small room." Luigi said looking around the room.

"I'm back!" Yuffie announced.

Everyone turned to see Yuffie with Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi.

"And you brought company I see." Leon said. "What brings you three by?"

"We were looking for Cid." Sora said.

"Well you found me. I'm taking it you took the book to Wiseman." Cid said. The trio nodded. "By the way, have you three heard of a dude named Bowser?"

Luigi and Yoshi gasped upon hearing the name while Sora looked on in confusion.

"Who's Bowser?" Sora asked.

"He comes from our world." Luigi explained. "He is our enemy. He always kidnaps the princess and does dastardly things. He was the reason that me and my brother almost didn't come to be. Luckily, one of Yoshi's ancestors saved us."

"Aw, it nothing." Yoshi blushed. "Why did Cid bring Bowser up?"

"Because I heard he's in town!" Cid responded.

"Great, I bet he's after the princess." Luigi groaned. "Well, here we go again."

"I'm afraid your enemy has a past you've never heard of." Leon said. "You see it's because of him that this town is full of heartless." Sora's group made shocked looks. "Don't take him lightly!"

"And believe it or not he's been using them for years." Arieth added.

"And because of that reptile we lost our world to the heartless as well." Leon said. "One day, we got ambushed by them and they destroyed our world. That was nine years ago."

"Being the kind gent I am, I grabbed these kids by the diapers and took off." Cid said with a chuckle. "Funny, I feel like I'm still babysitting them today."

"That terrible!" Yoshi said.

"We arrived and the kind citizens allowed us to build a home here." Arieth said.

"I was and still am like a father to them." Cid said. "I had to watch over them and get a job to pay for everything."

"Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem." Leon said. "He devoted his life to studying the heartless and the reports you were told about earlier could be the key to putting an end to them."

"Where are they then?"

"They were scattered to other worlds." Yuffie said. "Don't know where they are?"

"We have suspicions that Bowser may have most of them." Arieth said.

Meanwhile, outside of the house Riku was looking through the window and next to him was Bowser.

"I told ya." Bowser said to Riku. "While you were trying to find your little pal over here for days, he replaced you with new and better pals."

"I..I can't believe it." Riku said with a silent tone. "But he said that he wanted..."

Bowser started laughing. "He's lying! Just look at him, he treasures them far more then he treasures you. Especially, that little dino brat!"

Riku looked back in the window and saw Sora picking Yoshi up and spinning him around going wee. Riku made a sad look and turned back.

"He doesn't even care that I'm alright." Riku growled. "No, I can't..."

"Listen, that's how this world can be." Bowser explained. "One minute you have friends and the next they turn on you. That's how it works some times. Trust me, you're better off without that little punk. I can help you though."

"You can?" Riku asked. "Explain!"

"I believe there's a certain person you're looking for and I can help you." Bowser said with an evil grin.

"Show me how!"

"As you wish. Let's step into my office then shall we." Bowser snickered.

Bowser and Riku both left. Back inside the house, Sora finished telling everyone what's been going on when Cid stood up.

"So, while you've been delivering the book, I took care of the Toad Express." Cid said. "Now you can visit other worlds and I've also threw in a warp piece so you can easily warp back to other worlds faster."

"Good, so incase we need to make a pit stop we can use the warp feature to return to another world in a hurry." Sora said with a nod.

"Well, I'm heading back to my real job." Cid announced. "What is my real job you ask? You'll see!"

Cid walked out the door and said good-bye.

"Then we should get going too." Sora said. "Come on guys!" Sora looked around the room only noticing Luigi. "Um, where's Yoshi?"

Luigi just chuckled and pointed to his right. "Check it out kid, he's over there."

Sora turns to noticed Yoshi was sitting in front of a T.V. watching Mister Rogers's Neighborhood. Sora just chuckled.

"I haven't seen that show since I was like 4." Sora chuckled.

"Come on, kid! Grab Yoshi and let's go find Toadsworth!" Luigi said.

Sora walked over to Yoshi and bent down to him.

"Come on, Yoshi." Sora said. "We have to go."

"Aw, but Yoshi want to see the part where Mister Roger's throws shoe into the air." Yoshi whined. Just then one of the islanders appeared at a desk on screen.

"We interrupt your regular schedule programing to bring you this special bulletin." The islander said. "We go live to John on the scene. John can you hear us?"

The scene changed to another islander in front of an angry mob. Some of the mob had signs on it saying "Get Mario" Sora noticed these signs.

"Luigi! You might want to see this?" Sora called to Luigi.

Luigi walked over to the screen and looked at it with a gasp.

"Holy, ravioli!" Luigi cried. "It's gotten worse!"

"At this point they may try to tear your brother to shreds." Leon said.

"We've got to stop this madness!" Luigi said angrily. "I won't stand around watching my brother being framed anymore!"

"We need to bring the fake to justice." Sora said. "But how do we even proof your brother's innocents?"

"I have an idea." Leon said standing up.

"Leon do?" Yoshi asked.

"Yes, first we need to take care of the sludge. Luigi, your brother left you an item at Nook's shop." Leon told Luigi.

"An item? What kind of item?" Luigi asked suspiciously.

"An item that should help clear away some of the sludge." Arieth explained. "He payed for it already so you should go there and get it." Arieth handed Luigi a card. "This is the card we were told to give to you."

"Next, Nook has rental cameras there that people can borrow." Leon continued.

"Good ol' Nook." Sora chuckled. "Who would have thought that racoon would have something useful to help us!"

"Then it's settled!" Luigi said. "Let's head to the item shop!"

Just then a knock could be heard at the door. Yuffie answered the door and Peach and Toadsworth were there.

"O-oh, your majesty." Yuffie said nervously. "I-I didn't know you were here."

"Princess!" Yoshi cried.

Yoshi ran into Peach's arms and licked her.

"Hey! Cut it out, Yoshi!" Peach giggled. "That tickles!" Sora and Luigi approached the group. "Sora! Luigi! Glad to see you two again!"

"Same here Peach." Luigi said taking Peach's hand. "We're glad you're okay."

"Well, of course." Peach scoffed. "I told you I can take care of myself!"

"How did you guys find us?" Sora asked.

"Just because I'm off the Toad Express Master Sora, that doesn't mean I'm still watching you." Toadsworth Chortled. "I had the camera on you the whole time and plus a man named Cid told us where you were."

"Well, we're about to go get a camera because we figured out away to clear my brothers good name once and for all." Luigi said.

"Really? How?" Peach asked with hope.

"We'll explain on the way to the item shop." Sora said. "We've got to hurry, an angry mob might be heading our way."

"The quickest way back to Delfino Plaza is through the red warp pipe outside to the left." Leon said. "You'd better hurry!"

"Right! Thanks for the help!" Sora nodded.

The gang left the house and jumped down the red warp pipe. As they arrived back at the Plaza they encounter heartless. Toadsworth and Peach stood back as Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi fought the heartless. During the fight Sora used a new move called "Slide Dash" which made him do a hand stand on his keyblade and then charged at the heartless. Yoshi once again ate them up and spat them at others. Sora also called Ness into battle who used his PSI attacks to blow the heartless away. He even knocked some away with his yo-yo. Sora then delivered the final blow on the last heartless.

"See you, later." Ness waved as he return to his gem.

Luigi and Yoshi returned and the gang quickly headed over to the item shop. As they arrived their mouths dropped wide open as they noticed the shop has gotten a lot bigger.

"Whoa! Cid wasn't kidding when he said Nook's store got bigger!" Luigi gasped looking at the store.

The group walked into the store. The store now looked like a drug store selling all kinds of things. Sora noticed it had many different isles full of supplies. To his left Sora noticed the new counter was bigger and had more things underneath the desk. But the F.L.U.D.D Sora saw last time was still on the shelves. Nook's sons Tommy and Timmy noticed Sora.

"Dad! Dad!" The boys cried. "It's Sora!"

Nook turned to see Sora and ran up to him. "Sora, long time no see. How are things?"

"Good." Sora responded. He then looks around. "Wow! You've been going through some changes here, huh?"

"Oh, yes." Nook chuckled with a blush. "This store has become so famous that we had to make some slight changes, hm?"

"Slight?" Luigi said raising his eyebrow.

"Listen we need your help. We heard that you have a camera here." Peach said

"Oh, why yes I do." Nook said. "Need to borrow it?" Everyone nods. "Well, I'll go check my storage. Be right back! Don't go nowhere now, hm?"

Luigi then took the card out of his pocket. "Mr. Nook, there was an item here for me and I'm here to pick it up."

Luigi then handed Nook the card and Nook looked at it.

"Yes, that's right! I remember now!" Nook laughed. "A man that looked like you except he was shorter came in here and gave me this weird device." Nook walked up to his inventory and grabbed the F.L.U.D.D and brought it over to the counter. "He paid for it and said to give it to his brother Luigi. Aren't you Luigi?" Luigi nodded. "Well, then here you go." Nook placed the F.L.U.D.D on the floor and the five looked at it.

"What it is?" Sora asked Luigi.

Luigi just shrugged his shoulders when all of a sudden the F.L.U.D.D moved it's two handles out on it's own and Luigi screamed and jumps into Yoshi's arms. The F.L.U.D.D the moved it's nozzle around and it looked up at the group.

"Power-up complete." It said in a monotone yet high pitched voice.

"What?" Luigi cried. "It talks!"

"Yes, I can speak in almost any language." The F.L.U.D.D said.

"Um, we're find with English." Sora said with a little chuckled.

"Thank you for purchasing this item from Gadd Science, incorporated." The F.L.U.D.D continued.

"Gadd? Isn't that where you got the Poltergust 3000 from?" Peach asked Luigi with a shocked look.

"Yeah, it is." Luigi nodded. "Old Gadd is still up to his old tricks. I don't know what he'll think of next."

Yoshi sniffed F.L.U.D.D and it moved it's tank around and Yoshi ran hiding behind Peach.

"It's okay Yoshi." Peach said warmly to Yoshi. "It won't hurt you."

"Preparing to register customer information." The F.L.U.D.D said. It began scanning Luigi while the others looked on. Luigi raised his eyebrow as the F.L.U.D.D continued. "Scanning and classifying subject data...subject identified as Luigi, resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. Data storage complete. I am FLUDD nice to meet you all."

"Ooh, what does FLUDD stand for?" Peach asked the FLUDD.

"It stands for Flash, Liquidizer, Ultra, Dousing, Device." FLUDD responded. "Your brother Mario requested my help to put out the dirt in this town."

"That's great!" Luigi cheered. "But how can I wear you? I'm already wearing the Poltergust 3000, so how can you help?

"Simple." The FLUDD revealed a small button. "All Gadd products are compatible with each other. Push button on back of Poltergust 3000."

"Kid, could you hit it for me?" Luigi asked turning to Sora.

"Okay."

Sora walked up to the P3000 and hits the red button in the back. It then flashed causing him to jump back. When the light dimmed, FLUDD was on Luigi's back.

"Whoa!" Luigi exclaimed. "What happened!"

"I was transferred directly to your back, so now I can help you." FLUDD explained. "The Poltergust 3000 has been stored away so if you need it again, push the button to get it back."

"Cool!" Yoshi said.

"Now, we must step outside for instructions." FLUDD said.

"You kids go on." Toadsworth said. "I'll pay for the camera and meet up with you in a few minutes."

Sora, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi exited the item shop and arrived back outside.

"Proceed to the beach please." FLUDD instructed Sora's group. They headed over to a beach area with water. Some of the islanders were resting and one of them was on fire screaming.

"Help! Help!" The islander screamed.

"That guy's in trouble!" Sora shouted. "I'll use a Blizzard spell and..."

"Wait, I'll deal with this." Luigi said running up with FLUDD.

"To shoot water through my tank, squeeze the two pumps on your sides." FLUDD instructed.

Luigi squeezed the two pumps causing FLUDD to shoot water out of it's tank and it hit the citizen putting out the fire. The citizen stopped running and sighed. He then turns to Luigi.

"Hey, thanks! I was almost a goner." The citizen said relieved to Luigi.

"No problem." Luigi smiled back.

The citizen walked off and Sora and Yoshi joined Luigi.

"Cool! So FLUDD shoot water." Yoshi remarked.

"I can also act as a Hover Nozzle mode." FLUDD added. "Flip switch to left." Luigi noticed the switch and clicked it causing the one single nozzle to switch into two smaller ones that went down. "Now jump and squeeze again."

Luigi jumped into the air and squeezed causing water to go down which kept him floating. Luigi then jumpep back down.

"Amazing, I can float now too." Luigi said impressed.

"Hold on, I don't know if you realize this but you don't have infinite water power." Sora pointed out.

"Not to worry." FLUDD said. "Just go into a body of water and refill me."

Luigi walked into the water and the tank under FLUDD filled up on water.

"It's not that hard." Luigi chuckled. "Easy as 1,2,3!"

On three, Luigi slipped on some of the water he sprayed and his face landed in the sand. Sora and the others begin chuckling..

"Luigi?" Peach asked giggling. "Are you okay?"

Luigi pulled his head out of the sand and shakes his head. "Sandy, spaghetti!" Luigi stood up and began to brush himself off of the sand. "Guess what? I changed my name to Sandy."

"_Boy, he never stops with the corny jokes." _Sora groaned with a thought.

"Instructions complete." FLUDD announced. "I'm sure we'll make a great team. I'm here to help you in anyway."

"Thanks." Yoshi said.

"Oh, there you kids are." Toadsworth called. Everyone turned to see Toadsworth holding a little handheld camera. "I got the camera but I have no clue how to use this contraption! Back in my day we had to use cameras that had simple buttons. We..."

"Toadsworth, this isn't the time for one of your past experiences with an old device." Peach interrupted.

"Here, I use to make home movies with Riku when we were younger, so I could figure it out." Sora offered. Toadsworth handed the camera to Sora and he began observing it. Sora then took the lens cap off the camera and showed it to Toadsworth. "Just press this red button to start recording, but only if you see anything suspicious."

"How about that Master Sora?" Toadsworth said pointing at a giant yellow mud puddle.

"Yeah, that's pretty strange." Peach added.

Everyone ran over to the center of town and noticed the brown goop covering the streets and that the sky was dark.. Sora took out his keyblade ready to fight.

"What ever that is, let's take it out!" Sora cried.

"Negative, do not attack!" FLUDD called out to Sora.

"How come?" Sora asked FLUDD. "I'll just slash it and.."

"First off kid your keyblade can't destroy liquid and secondly it looks hot to me." Luigi interrupted. "Better let me cool it down."

Luigi squeezed the pumps causing FLUDD to shoot water at the goop spot. Little monsters came out of the goop and tried to attack Luigi but Sora slashed away at them. The goop began to get shorter and shorter from Luigi's blasts. Even some of the citizens were trapped under there. Yoshi and the others helped the citizens while Luigi and Sora continued their strategy.

"It working." Yoshi exclaimed happily.

Just then a giant piranha plant rose out from the goop which was still covered in it and knocked Luigi into Sora. They both hit the ground.

"Whoa! What is that?" Sora exclaimed standing up.

"It is the creature that is causing this goop to spread." FLUDD explained. "If we can spray water in it's mouth enough times that should destroy it and all of this goop should be gone."

"Where do you get your information from?" Peach giggled at the FLUDD.

"Eat water ugly!" Luigi shouted at the plant. Luigi tried to shoot water but nothing came out. Luigi looked up at the plant and gulped nervously. "Um, I think I'm out of water."

"We must refill!" FLUDD cried. "Danger! Danger!"

"Me and Yoshi will distract old weed boy while you refill on water!" Sora instructed.

"Thanks kid!" Luigi said running towards the water.

"Yoshi hungry." Yoshi said rubbing his stomach. Yoshi tried to grab the plant with his tongue but the graffiti was so hot that Yoshi yelped and ran into the water.

"Yoshi!" Peach cried to Yoshi.

"Come and get me!" Sora called to the plant.

The plant tried to hit Sora with the smudge but he rolled out of the way dodging the attack. He shot a Blizzard spell at the plant freezing it up. Luigi hurried back and shot the water quickly into the plant's mouth causing it to groan. Then, it got so big that it exploded and everyone ducked for cover. The smudge then disappeared letting off steam. All of a sudden a giant statue of one of the citizens's wearing a cape appeared.

"Well, that's that." Luigi said slapping his hands together. "We're going to make a great team FLUDD!"

"Yes, I can see it too, Luigi." FLUDD said happily. "Your brother would be proud."

Sora looked up at the statue and noticed a mysterious figure up there. Sora's made a strange look at it.

"What's wrong Sora?" Peach asked concerned.

"Toadsworth, start recording and zoom in on the head of that statue!" Sora called to Toadsworth quickly.

"Oh, yes! Right away, Master Sora." Toadsworth said pointing the camera to the head of the statue. Toadsworth then shouted. "You're not going to believe this! Everyone look up quick!"

Everyone looked up again and this time the Mario characters go into a state of shock.

"WHAT?" Luigi exclaimed.

"CAN IT BE?" Yoshi added

Everyone saw a liquified looking person. He wore a hat with red evil eyes, and he held a giant paintbrush. Peach was shocked the most.

"Mario?"

Luigi looked closely at the creature and gets angry. "This isn't Mario! It was an imposter! You fiend, you're going to pay for framing my brother!"

"So you meddlers did your homework, huh?" The Imposter said with an evil laugh. "I'd love to stay and play but you have something I desire!"

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Sora shouted getting his keyblade ready.

The creature jumped off the statue jumping over the trio and ran right at Peach. Toadsworth tried to stop him but the imposter knocked him aside and grabbed Peach and ran off.

"So long suckers!" The imposter laughed manically.

"Help!" Peach cried. "Sora! Yoshi! Luigi!"

"Princess!" Yoshi exclaimed.

Everyone ran over to where Toadsworth was.

"Toadsworth, are you okay?" Luigi asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine Master Luigi but that importer of Master Mario took off with the princess." Toadsworth groaned. He then stood up and made a very sad look and began to cry. "It's all my fault! I failed to protect the princess! I'm a failure! I'm so sorry princess!" He then began crying and Yoshi licked his face.

"Oh, no cry Toadsworth." Yoshi said trying to cheer up his friend.

"Don't worry Toadsworth, we'll save her." Sora assured. "There's four of us and one of him, the tips in our favor. We'll attack him head on!"

"But kid, he could use the princess as a shield if we try to gang up on him" Luigi disagreed. "It doesn't depend on how many of us there are, it depends on wits in this battle, so we need a new strategy."

"May I make a suggestion?" FLUDD interrupted.

"We'll take anything, just please help us." Toadsworth said.

"We divide into two groups and surprise him." FLUDD said.

"Okay, me and Luigi will go after him, you two go the other way so we can take him by surprise." Sora instructed.

"Right!" Everyone else nodded.

"And keep that camera rolling Toadsworth." Luigi added. "We need all the footage we can get!"

"Oh, yes." Toadsworth grabbed the camera and jumped onto Yoshi's back. "I just hope we're not too late!"

"Don't worry, it going to be okay." Yoshi said warmly.

Sora and Luigi headed off in one direction, while Yoshi heads off with Toadsworth in another.

Meanwhile, the impostor continued running with Peach.

"Put me down!" Peach demanded. "Or you'll be sorry!"

"I'm afraid there is nothing you can do." The impostor laughed. "No one can help you!" Just then he turns to hear Luigi call out.

"Release Peach! Faker!" Luigi called.

"Great, they're on my tail!" The impostor groaned. "Heartless! Attack them!"

A group of heartless charged at Sora and Luigi. Luigi fired water at them causing them to slip and Sora killed them pretty easily.

"That all ya got?" Sora laughed.

"Shoot!" The impostor cried in anger. "Time to run!"

The chase continued as the impostor jumped from wall to wall but our heros managed to keep up. He pointed his paint brush tip in the ground and created more graffiti to block their path but Luigi sprayed their way through it. The impostor got frustrated and jumped from building to building trying to outsmart Luigi and Sora but Yoshi fired an egg knocking the impostor over. Peach went flying and landed inside a giant green shell in the water which was near the cannon to Pinna Park. The impostor quickly made his way over with Sora and company hot on his tail. The impostor jumped onto the green part of the shell and turned to face the gang.

"Sora, Luigi, Toadsworth, Yoshi!" Peach cheered. "Thank goodness!"

"Let her go!" Luigi demanded. "You have no where else to run!"

"Bully!" Yoshi growled.

"Your game has come to an end!" Toadsworth shouted pointing at the impostor.

The impostor then stuck it's long tongue out at our heros and then laughed. "I'm afraid my game has only begun!" It then jumped into the shell and closed the top and started the engine. The shell zoomed off for Pinna Park. FLUDD scanned it's route and then made a beeping noise.

"Target is heading for Pinna Park!" FLUDD confirmed. "Destination will be reached in two minutes!"

"Then let's get over there!" Luigi cried. "There's no time to lose!"

Everyone quickly headed for the cannon and blast off to Pinna park. Upon arrival the saw the impostor by the entrance.

"Whoa! How did he get here so fast?" Sora asked in shock.

"Don't worry about that now kid!" Luigi said while running. "We've got to stop that impostor!"

Everyone headed into the park as they continued to chase the impostor. Sora noticed that there were actually people this time around but paying no attention continued running. As the impostor got away everyone was just about to catch up with him when something fell from the sky. Luigi, Sora, and Yoshi gasped upon seeing what it was.

"It-it can't be!" Luigi gulped.

"But w-we killed him!" Sora exclaimed.

"What is it?" Toadsworth asked.

Standing before our heros was Guard Armor ready for a rematch.

"Now what?" Luigi groaned. "We've got to rescue Peach!"

Sora and Yoshi both got ready to fight.

"Me and Yoshi will take care of our old friend while you deal with the Mario Impostor!" Sora told Luigi.

"Just be careful you two!" Luigi responded.

"Yoshi beat monster once and will do it again." Yoshi snickered.

"Then let's do what we did last time." Sora smirked to Yoshi.

Both nodded and charged at Guard Armor. Toadsworth and Luigi ran over to a giant pool where the impostor was waiting for them floating on the water clapping his hands.

"Bravo! Bravo!" The impostor laughed. "I'm impressed to see you've come this far only to die!"

"I'm not afraid of you!" Luigi said. "I'm fighting for Peach and my brother!"

"Then it's time to release the heavy equipment."

The water from the pool split up and the impostor landed on an orange block. As it rose it looked like a giant robot version of Bowser. Toadsworth and Luigi's mouths dropped wide open

"What happened?" FLUDD asked Luigi. "Did the perpetrator get away?"

"No, but he's 50 feet above us." Luigi gulped.

The robot Bowser shot fire out of his mouth and the citizens ran out of the park as fast as they could also avoiding the fight between Guard Armor and Sora and Yoshi. An old creature that wore glasses saw the giant Bowser and Luigi and got excited and walked over to him.

"Young man?" The man called to Luigi.

Luigi then turned to the man. "Sir, get out of here it's.."

"Brilliant!" The man exclaimed with excitement. "What a spectacle!"

"Huh?" Luigi asked in confusion.

"A new show of ours, right?" The man said. Before Luigi could answer the man continued. "You guys are great! I say your bosses need a raise for hiring such good actors. I love how you and your two friends play fearless heros and battle against giant metal monsters." Luigi looked at the Bowser robot and then Guard Armor still fighting with Sora and Yoshi. "And how you have to save a beautiful princess from an evil bad guy."

"Well actually..." Toadsworth began.

"As director of this park I want to ensure your success." The man interrupted. "So how about I provide you with a hero's vehicle to take that robot down? And some bullets for your little prop can help you."

"It's worth a shot!" Luigi said. "Okay!"

Luigi followed the director to the roller coaster. Yoshi tried to use the same tactics he used last time on Guard Armor but the hands quickly knocked Yoshi aside. Sora got ticked off seeing that.

"You'll pay for that!" Sora yelled at the heartless. Sora horizontally slashed at Guard Armor knocking it and all of it's pieces down in one slash. Sora ran over to Yoshi and bent down to him. "Are you alright pal?"

"Sora no worry." Yoshi said. He then gave Sora a thumbs up. "Yoshi have little scrape on knee but Yoshi a-okay."

Just then the Armor began shaking and got back up. Sora and Yoshi stood up ready to fight again.

"You can't beat us!" Sora called to the armor. "We beat you once and we'll do it again!"

"Yeah!" Yoshi added. Yoshi gave the Armor a raspberry and the Armor got mad.

It put it's hands down, flat on the ground and did a handstand. The feet bent down making claws on each hand and the helmet's flap moves down showing the eyes. The new Opposite Armor floated in the air and roared at Sora and Yoshi who both made nervous looks.

"I'm going to file this in the category of not good!" Sora gulped.

Opposite Armor knocked Sora and Yoshi into a wall and they fell down. They tried to attack again but the Armor dodged their attacks. At one point it placed all of it's body parts on the chest and fired a beam at the duo. Sora rolled out of the way and kicked the Armor aside knocking it's pieces down. Yoshi ate one of the hands and turned it into an egg. Sora quickly stepped on it destroying the right hand. Furious, the armor spun it's feet knocking Sora and Yoshi back again. They both jumped back and kicked at the chest but the other hand grabbed both of them at once and threw them aside.

Luigi had just boarded the roller coaster and thanked the director. As it went up the ramp Luigi loaded a missile into FLUUD's nozzle.

"Twenty missiles should do for this." Luigi said.

"Be careful!" FLUDD warned Luigi. "The Bowser robot can shoot Bullet Bills at us. It's weakness is it's head."

"Okay! Hang on!" Luigi said.

The roller coaster went down and began going over loops. During one of the loops Luigi shor a missile at a Bullet Bill.

"Luigi!" FlUDD cried. "One comes from behind!"

Luigi turned around and fired a missile at the one behind him.

"Ha! Ha!" Luigi laughed proudly. "Eat my dust!"

"Luigi, I suggest opening fire!" FLUDD said.

Luigi fired a missile at the Bowser head hitting it directly. It spun out of control and Luigi cheered. The coaster then came close to the Browser head and it shot fire.

"Luigi, careful of the fire!" FLUUD cried.

Luigi fired another one just in time but a little bit of the flames got on his hat. Luigi just sniffed for the burning.

"Say, someone's cooking something." Luigi said with a sniff. "And it smells good."

"That would be you Luigi." FLUDD said.

Luigi looked up at his hat. "Leapen Lasagna!" FLUUD squirted water on top of Luigi's head. Luigi took his hat off and looked at it. "My beautiful hat!" He shouted at the robot in Italian and fired sixteen of his missiles out like crazy. Ten of them hit random places in the park while 3 of them hit the head and three destroy the missiles that were about hit Luigi. The Bowser head moved down and sparked electricity out of it. Luigi gasped for breath.

"Luigi, breath slowly." FLUDD instructed. "The battle is won."

"But my hat..."

"Nook's store has new hats." FLUDD said.

"Oh, goodie." Luigi said clapping his hands. "That's that! Now let's finish the ride and save Peach."

"Luigi! Sora and Yoshi could require some assistance." FLUDD said.

Luigi looks down to see Opposite Armor closing in on a weak Sora and Yoshi.

"The last missile should take care of that metal head." Luigi said loading a missile.

Luigi pumped FLUDD firing the missile at the armor. Sora and Yoshi both panted and were backed into a corner.

"Yoshi, if we're going down, we'll go down together, right?" Sora said out of breath.

"Where are Sora and Yoshi going down to?" Yoshi asked.

Sora rolled his eyes and looked back ready to battle. The Opposite Armor was ready to strike when the missile hit it making the parts fall down. Sora looked up to see Luigi giving a thumbs up to them.

"Thanks Luigi!" Sora called to his friend. "I owe you one! Quick, let's strike it now!"

Sora and Yoshi struck the monster with full force. Sora slashed at it slashing the metal out of it and Yoshi stomped on it with full force. The metal broke off the chest and the creature growled and floated up. It shots a beam again but Sora jumped out of the way. Sora took out his summon gem getting ready to summon Ness but remembered he would need both Luigi and Yoshi.

"Master Sora!" Toadsworth called out. "I'll help you summon Ness!"

"Thanks Toadsworth!"

Toadsworth and Yoshi both entered the gem and Ness came out.

"Alright, ugly! Time to feel the power of my PK flash!" Ness cried. Ness shot the little green ball into the hole of Opposite Armor.

The Armor tried to attack but exploded into piece again. Ness returned to his gem and Sora and Yoshi finished off the all of it's piece and the Armor disappeared for good. Yoshi jumped into Sora's arms and hugged him.

"Sora and Yoshi won!" Yoshi cheered. Yoshi pulled away from Sora. "Yoshi and Sora make best team!"

"We do." Sora nodded. "But Luigi needs our help, let's go!"

Sora, Yoshi, and Toadsworth met up with Luigi and they all ran over to the Bowser robot. The top of the head opened up revealing the impostor and Peach inside.

"Peach!" Luigi cried to her.

"Luigi!" She called back. The impostor jumped up and put the brush in front of Peach. "Oh!" He jumped out and did cannonball down to the ground. While he was doing that he changed into what appeared to be a smaller version of Bowser.

"Bowser?" Yoshi asked in confusion.

The small creature removed his black bandana from his mouth revealing a smaller yet cuter version of Bowser.

"Leave my mama alone, you bad man!" The small Bowser said to Luigi. "I won't let you or your gang take Mama Peach away from me!"

"Wh-what!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Mama?" Sora asked in confusion.

"Mama Peach?" Peach also asked in confusion. "I'm your...mama?"

"Papa told me all about you." The little Bowser explained. "I'm JR your son and a bad man name Mario kidnaped you."

"That makes you Bowser's son then." Toadsworth exclaimed.

"Kid, Peach can't be your mama!" Luigi said. "How do I put this?" Luigi then pointed his fingers towards each other. "You see, when a mommy koopa and daddy koopa love each other very much they decide to..."

"Um, it just can't be done." Sora interrupted quickly.

"I don't believe you!" JR said. "You're just a liar! I've come here to rescue her!"

"So you're the one who caused the graffiti." Peach said with a gasp.

"Uh-huh." JR nodded. He pulled out the magic paint brush. "This is my magic brush. When I draw with this, all of my wishes come true! A strange old man in a white coat gave it to me."

"A strange old man..in a white coat?" FLUDD asked surprised.

"Then why did you pretend to be Mario?"

"Papa told me everything. He said 'Mario's a bully, he never fights fair and JR you've got to try and outsmart him.' So I tried to get him locked up in jail but he never showed up to the island. Plus Papa told me to find something called a keyblade here."

Sora quickly hid his keyblade behind his back

"So I tried to get his little brother Luigi locked up instead and Mario would then come and I would get him." JR growled.

"Not only is he a lowlife but he even lies to his own son!" Luigi said in anger.

"And now you've come back to steal Mama Peach again!" JR growled. "You...you pests! Stop following us!"

JR jumped back into the cockpit and began to close the top.

"Luigi, Sora, Yoshi, Toadsworth! Help!" Peach cried.

The head flew up into the air and formed a rocket ship and blasted off into space. Toadsworth got on his hands and knees groaning.

"Princess!" He cried.

"We're sorry Toadsworth." Sora said softly.

"Great, now what?" Luigi groaned. "Not only do we have to stop the heartless but we also have to rescue Peach!"

"What that?" Yoshi cried pointing.

Sora turned to notice something flashing over at the island. The keyblade moved up and pointed at Delfino Plaza's harbor.

"Guys! I think I see a keyhole!" Sora said pointing.

"Kid, you go take care of the keyhole while we go to the police." Luigi instructed.

The gang headed back over into the warp pipe. Toadsworth was still too upset so he rode on Yoshi's back. Upon arrival Sora headed over to Delfino Harbor where he looked up at the giant Shine Sprite. He saw a keyhole in the middle of it.

"This should stop the heartless dead in their tracks!" Sora said to himself. Sora fired a little laser out of his keyblade and it hit the keyhole locking it for good. As he looked around he could see the darkness around the town has lifted and the citizens of town cheering. Sora smiled and proudly walked out of the town. Sora arrived back to the center of town where the others are with the mayor of Delfino. "What's up?"

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi being honored for saving the town." Yoshi said excitedly.

"I here by honor Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi the badge of honors for saving Isle Delfino." the mayor said sticking a badge on Sora and Luigi. Yoshi took his. "We apologize for framing your brother of the crimes that were committed. How can we ever repay you?"

"How about a free lunch with your famous seafood?" Luigi chuckled gleefully.

"Consider it done!" The mayor said. "Boys, taking them down to our restaurant!"

Two police officers assist Sora's group down to the restaurant. On the way everyone looked happy but they noticed Toadsworth wasn't remembering what happened with Peach. Everyone didn't say too much for the time they were eating, as they were sad because they've lost someone who was close to them. Meanwhile outside, a mysterious hooded figure was watching them and walked away. As he walked we could hear him mumbling "He will pay!" He then vanished.


	12. The Battle for the Oak Cup

**Chapter XI: The Battle for the Oak Cup**

An hour has passed since Bowser JR kidnaped Peach. Sora's group (except for Toadsworth who boarded the Toad Express) arrived at the hotel where Leon was waiting. Sora explained everything that happened.

"I see..." Leon said baffled. "So there was a keyhole here after all."

"And then little Bowser kidnap Peach." Yoshi added sadly.

"He's probably taking her back to big Bowser as we speak." Luigi growled. "As always that Bowser doesn't want to be alone."

"This time I'm afraid he has a true purpose." Leon sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked nervously.

"I was doing some research when I came across something about seven beautiful maidens know as the Princesses of Heart." Leon explained. "It's believed they hold the key to unlocking a powerful darkness that could bring about the end of mankind."

Yoshi whimpered upon hearing this. "Really?"

"I'm afraid so." Leon replied. "That was something also mentioned in Ansem's Report. I suspect that's the reason Bowser is after Peach and the others."

"Then that's probably why Dixie and Samus disappeared." Sora gasped. "They were one of the seven princesses!"

"Exactly! As I feared, he must be trying to get them all to gain true power." Leon said.

"We have to stop him then!" Luigi cried. "Or else innocent lives will be destroyed!"

"Before you go take this." Leon said handing Sora a scroll.

"Another scroll!" Sora exclaimed.

"Yeah, you left it behind after your battle." Leon said.

Sora read the scroll and a white gust of wind surrounded him.

"Whoa!"

"You've learned Aero." Luigi said. "This increases your defense and gives you more power."

"Cool!"

"There's no time!" Leon said. "You three should get going then!"

"Right!" Sora nodded. "Luigi, Yoshi, let's rock and roll!"

The trio said good-bye and headed back into to town. They arrived back into town and met up with Toadsworth. As Toadsworth approached the trio, Luigi whispered to Sora and Yoshi.

"We can't let Toadsworth know about what Peach is or else he'll have a heart attack." Luigi whispered. "That goes for you too, Yoshi."

"Aw!" Yoshi moaned.

"Master Sora, Master Luigi, Yoshi glad to see you." Toadsworth said happily.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Sora asked Toadsworth concerned. "You were pretty bummed out about Peach."

"Who ever this man is, I assure you that I have gotten over losing the princess." Toadsworth said. Sora rolled his eyes. "Besides, I'm sure we can find her."

"Yeah, we won't give up." Luigi said with confidence. "We'll search every part of the globe until we've found her! And we do have FLUDD to help us."

"Thank you." FLUDD responded. "I appreciate your kind words."

"Then let's go!"

"Hold on, kid!" Luigi said stopping Sora. "We should stock up on supplies before heading out."

"I wonder if Cid has anything good at the accessory shop?"

"Come on! Yoshi want to see!" Yoshi said excitedly.

The four headed over to Cid's shop and were about to walk in when they got stopped by Mr. Resetti.

"Mr. Resetti?" Sora asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Why I'm spreading the word about resetting and you four look like you could use it." Resetti said.

"Liked to, loved to, but we have too much to do." Luigi responded.

Resetti then yelled at Luigi. "YOU WILL SIT YOUR BUTT DOWN AND LISTEN TO MY LECTURE OR ELSE I"LL BEAT INTO AN EARLY GRAVE!"

Luigi ran behind Yoshi screaming. "Why do these things always happened to me?"

Toadsworth slapped Resetti across the face. "Get a hold of yourself sir."

"Sorry." Resetti sighed. "You wouldn't believe how many people I had to talk to about resetting today."

"It sounds interesting but we're kinda in a hurry." Sora said nervously. _"Man, I could imagine Cid and this guy going at it with those big mouths." _

"Very well, but next time we meet I won't go so easy on you." Resetti said. "And I'm watching you Mr. Italian and wash your hair before bed."

Luigi gulped and came out from behind Yoshi as Resetti walked away.

"He scares me." Luigi shivered.

"Like everything else that scares you." Sora mumbled with a chuckled.

"What was that?" Luigi asked suspiciously at Sora.

"Oh, nothing." Sora lied with a chuckle.

"At least we don't have to worry about him for awhile." Toadsworth added. "Let's go in!"

The four entered the room only to discover that Cid wasn't there. The four walked around the room looking for him.

"Cid? Ya here?" Sora called out.

"No one home." Yoshi sighed. "Yoshi think Cid taking nap." Just then, everyone could hear snoring. "Yoshi right! Cid asleep!"

"It sounds like it's coming from the left of the counter." Luigi pointed to the side of the counter.

Everyone walked over to notice a Goomba was asleep on the floor but this one wore a blue baseball cap.

"Well, I'll be." Toadsworth laughed. "As I stand here and breath if it isn't Goombario."

The Goomba then yawned and began to wake up.

"The answer is Pi 3.14" Goombario said sleepily. He then looked up to notice Toadsworth. "Oh, hi Toadsworth, and Luigi too. So nice to see you again."

"Who and what is that?" Sora asked Luigi.

"This is a Goomba, a creature that came from our world. However, this kid Goombario is very smart for his age." Luigi explained. "He once helped my brother save Peach from Bowser and because he was so smart he was enrolled in Toadsworth advance Math class after."

"I didn't know you were a teacher." Sora said in surprise turning to Toadsworth.

"It was a part time job." Toadsworth said.

"Actually, he was my collage professor!" Goombario interrupted.

"What?" Sora and Yoshi exclaimed.

"And I'm glad to see you're okay, but what on earth are you doing down there?" Toadsworth asked Goombario.

"Um, I was trying to solve a long division problem." Goombario lied.

"That's always been the problem with you. You were such a good student, but after the battle with Bowser you became a liar." Toadsworth sighed.

"But I'm telling the truth." Goombario protested. "Just like how I found this present."

"Listen, little Goomba boys and girls who continue lying will have no feet." Toadsworth pointed out.

"I thought it was their noises grow real long." Sora interrupted.

"If you took the time to notice, I don't have a nose." Goombario pointed out. He then sighed. "Alright, I took the present so I could make a ship to go find Kooper, Lady Bow, and Parakarry. They were all with me when we got separated. I'm going to find them."

"Yes, but It's dangerous out there." Toadsworth pointed out. "Not even your super strong head can help you."

"Then what can we do?" Goombario asked. "I want to be with my friends again."

"Don't worry, you leave that to us. We'll find your friends and these three fellows will lend me a hand."

"We will?" Luigi asked.

"Okay, Toadsworth." Goombario smiled. "I'll leave everything to you then."

"Then shall we go Master Sora?" Toadsworth asked.

"Could have asked us first." Sora grumbled.

Sora payed in advance for the equipped items and then headed out. They took the boat back to the airport and boarded the ship with Luigi smiling knowing that his brother's good name has been finally cleared. As they boarded the ship the ringing of a telephone could be heard.

"That must be our on air phone service." Toadsworth assumed. "I'll get it." Toadsworth picked up the phone and put his mouth up to the mouth part. "Hello? Yes? Oh, hello professor. Yes he's here!" He then handed the phone to Sora. "Master Sora, Professor Oak is on the line. Do you wish to speak with him?"

"Sure." Sora said putting the phone up. "Hi, Professor."

"Hello Sora, good to hear from you." Oak said happily but a little glum over the phone line. "You sound well."

"Thanks, but you sound a little sad." Sora responded concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I have some good news and some bad news." Oak said. "The good news is that we've finally managed to clean up the mess done by Team Rocket, so the first cup of the tournament is beginning."

"Alright!" Sora cheered.

"Why Sora cheering?"

"The mess done by Team Rocket has been fixed so we can fully enter the games now!" Sora said excitedly.

"Happy day!" Luigi cheered. "Now we can kick some serious butt and win the tournament faster then you can say.."

"Um, what's the bad news professor?" Sora interrupted quickly not wanting to hear Luigi's jokes.

"Hey, I didn't even finish!" Luigi said angrily.

"The bad news is that Ash lost the Johto competition and he was so close." Oak said in sorrow.

"Oh, that's too bad." Sora said in disappointment. "He sounded so confident he could win. But when we get there we'll cheer him up."

"Good, and Ash said he is going to take part in my competition. So maybe you'll end up facing him."

"Sounds like fun." Sora nodded. "We'll be there real soon. Good-bye and see ya soon." Sora then hung up the phone and turned to Toadsworth. "Tell the pilot to head to Pokemon Coliseum." He then turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "I know we're on a mission but if we battle for a little while we'll become stronger then ever."

"Good point." Yoshi nodded.

"Then off to Pokemon Coliseum!" Toadsworth announced.

Using the new warp feature the Toad Express blasted through space and time and arrived at Pokemon Coliseum. Sora looked out the window in amazement.

"Wow, we've got here so fast." Sora said in shock.

"Come, on, kid." Luigi said. "Let's go kick some butt!"

The trio exited the Toad Express and said good-bye to Toadsworth. They made their way through town until they arrived at the entrance to the coliseum. As they walked in they got greeted by a yellow friend.

"Pikachu!"

"Hi, Pikachu!" Sora said. "Long time no see!" Pikachu jumped onto Sora's head and then licked Sora's face causing him to laugh. "Hey, that tickles!"

"Come here, Pikachu!" Called a voice.

Pikachu jumped off Sora's head and ran over to Ash and jumped on his head.

"Ash!" Yoshi cried.

"Hiya ,Sora." Ash said shaking Sora's hand. "Man, I've had a wild day how about you?"

"Trust me, my day couldn't get any wilder." Sora responded. "By the way, I heard you lost the Johto competition. I'm really sorry about that."

"It's alright." Ash replied with a chuckle. "As long as me and my Pokemon had fun, that's all that matters. I'm entering the professor's tournament. Who knows, maybe we'll end up facing each other!"

Pikachu tugged at Ash's pants. "Pika!"

"Oh, I forgot, I promised I would take my Pokemon to a big banquet celebrating that we made it to the semi-finals." Ash gasped. "I've got to go and the professor is waiting for you guys."

"Okay, kid. We'll see you guys around then." Luigi said.

The trio said good-bye to Ash and Pikachu and they headed in. They arrived at the entrance to the arena and Oak greeted them.

"Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, good timing." Oak said. "You're a bit earlier but we can start right now if you wish."

"That would sound great." Yoshi nodded.

"Then hurry up! The Oak cup is going to begin." Oak said.

The trio enter the arena where they get confronted by heartless for their first match.

"I thought this was a human vs. Pokemon competition?" Luigi gulped.

"Remember, that these guys can bend the rules." Sora pointed out.

The trio fought through nine seeds fighting old heartless like Space Pirates, Metroids, Power Wilds etc. Finally they made it through the nine seeds and arrived at the final seed.

"Who we facing?" Yoshi wondered.

Just then some space pirates and a Guard Armor with just it's chest and head floated out of the arena.

"Not again!" Luigi groaned. "Can't we have a day without Guard Armor?"

"But the thing about this one is that it doesn't have arms or legs so it shouldn't be too hard." Sora said with a smirk.

"Knock on wood." Luigi replied.

Our heros attacked the heartless. Luigi and Yoshi dealt with the pirates while Sora dealt with the handless and footless Guard Armor. The pirates tried to attack Luigi with fire but he used FLUDD to put out the fire. Yoshi ate up one of the pirates turning them into an egg and he shot it at another one. The armor spun it's body and knocked Sora back but he easily got up.

"That was weak." Sora laughed.

The Armor tried to attack again but Sora counter the attack sending it spinning into the ground. Sora jumped on top of it and slashed through the metal of the armor. The armor growled in pain and got back up. Luigi fired an ice spell knocking the armor over again and Sora stabbed it, finishing it off. The trio finished off the rest of the heartless and then the referee waved the flag.

"Team Armor is unable to battle, Team Sora wins and moves onto the Charizard cup!" The referee announced.

The gang cheered and Yoshi and Luigi jumped into Sora's arms and he swung them around. At the gates Oak and Ash (Who arrived a few minutes ago) watched the victory. Pikachu did his victory sign by making the piece sign.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

"He truly has a lot of skill." Oak said impressed.

"Looks like you underestimated him and his pals." Ash chuckled. "Just imagine, he might win the whole competition." Ash then smirked. "But he'll have to go through me and my Pokemon first! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

Moments later, Sora and his friends were on a stand. A female reporter came up with camera people to interview Sora.

"So, Mr. Sora." The Female reporter said. "What do you have to say about your victory?"

Luigi and Yoshi looked at Sora and he lifted his keyblade into the sky.

"We're the champs!" Sora cried.

The audience cheered for the victory again. Minutes later, everyone was out in the lobby.

"Good job, boys! You are well on your way to winning." Oak said to the trio. "But we have to prepare for the next round, so I'll call you when it's ready. And here's your prize for winning!"

Oak handed Sora another scroll and he read it. Just then, Meowth walked in.

"I'm going to get dat Pikachu this time!" Meowth snickered. Just then he looked up to notice a black ball falling on him. "Oh, pooh!" The ball fell on him flattening him and everyone started laughing. Meowth stood back up. "This isn't over! I'll be back ya twerps and I'm going to get dat Pikachu!" He then ran off. "Team Rocket is blasting off again!"

"That Meowth will never learn." Ash laughed.

"We've just learned Gravity." Luigi told Sora. "A useful ability that lowers one's health by 25 percent. It can make them weaker so we can hit them more easily."

"Could be useful." Yoshi nodded in agreement. Everyone then heard a growling sound and Luigi screamed and hid behind Sora. Yoshi rubbed his stomach "Yoshi hungry."

Everyone looked at Luigi as he nervously walked out. "Oh..um...I knew that was his stomach."

"You're always hungry." Sora chuckled.

"Yoshi can't help it!" Yoshi whined.

"There's some table scraps back on the Toad Express..."

Yoshi ran out the door leaving a startled Sora and Luigi.

"Wow! He's fast!" Sora exclaimed.

"That's when he hears the word food. Then he's a speed demon." Luigi laughed.

"We should go then." Sora said to Oak. "We'll be back!"

Our heros said good-bye and headed out. As they headed back to the ship, they saw Cloud leaning on a building.

"Good job out there." Cloud smiled. "You fought well."

"Thanks, Cloud." Sora replied. "I can't believe you're still here!"

"I told you I'm looking for someone." Cloud said. "And I won't rest until I've found him."

"So you're going to enter the games now?" Luigi asked.

"I heard he's here." Cloud said softly. "If I get to the Platinum Cup I can beat him. So I guess this means there will be a rematch between us."

"I can't wait!" Sora replied excited. "By the way, do you know someone named Arieth?"

Cloud dropped his sword and gasps. "She's alive! But I thought Se...never mind. What did she say?"

"She say be careful!" Yoshi said.

Cloud pet Yoshi's head. "Okay, I will. Just tell her I'm fine and I know what I'm doing." He then looked up at Sora. "Sora. We will meet again and next time I promise to give you a fair fight."

"You're on!" Sora said shaking Cloud's hand. "And no dark powers involved!"

"Okay, and no dark powers." Cloud agreed.

Sora's group headed off and boarded the Toad Express. As the ship left they saw a giant green pipe appear.

"What's a warp pipe doing in the middle of space?" Luigi asked stunned.

"Believe it or not, this warp pipe should lead up into the next set of worlds." Toadsworth said.

"How sure are you?" Sora asked.

"Pretty sure!" Toadsworth responded.

"Then let's go!" Yoshi cried.

The Toad Express flew through the pipe and entered a warp vortex. Everyone went flying back into their seats.

"Hang on everyone!" Sora cried.

The ship picked up more speed at it flew through the vortex. Finally, a light could be seen at the end and the Toad Express exited the pipe. Everyone sighed and sat back in their seats and Sora ran to the window.

"Holy, Ravioli!" Luigi exclaimed. "That was insane!"

"Insane or not we're already approaching a world." Sora said looking out the window. "That was cool! Can we do it again?"

"Later." Luigi replied. "Right now, let's check out what world is coming up."

Everyone looked out the window to see a giant castle in a small town. The castle was dark and eerie.

"That place scary." Yoshi gulped.

"It may be, but we have to investigate." Sora said. "Come on, guys:et's go!"

"Hold up kid." Luigi said "It's getting close to dark so I suggest when we get to...what's this world's name?"

"It's called Hyrule." Toadsworth responded. "A beautiful kingdom used to rest here until an evil man gained total power of this world and that's all the information I have on it."

"Now Yoshi know why it scary." Yoshi whimpered.

"Anyways, when we get there let's try to find a hotel and..."

"It'll have to be more of an inn Master Luigi." Toadsworth interrupted. "This world is Mediaeval, so hotels don't exist yet. There is a ranch there called Lon Lon Ranch. I'm sure someone can help you if I drop you off right by there."

Sora stood up and Luigi and Yoshi joined him. "Well, then let's go! No time to waste!"

The Toad Express made it's decent into Hyrule as Sora prepared for his adventure in the second round of worlds.


	13. A Link to the Keyhole Part I

**Chapter XII: A "Link" to the Keyhole Part I**

The dark damp Market Place of Hyrule was scary just to set foot in. The buildings were old and there was fog surrounding the entire area. The ally was also old and worn out. The place was barren as if no one has lived there in the last seven years. The middle of town was inhabited by brown zombie like creatures. Ganondorf and Bowser were walking through the market.

"Look at this place." Bowser growled. "It's nasty, it's horrifying, simply grim." He then smiled. "I love it!"

"I knew you would like it." Ganondorf chuckled sinisterly. "Seven year after that foolish boy pulled the sword from the pedestal, I was able to take over."

"I do enjoy the redecorating but we have more important things to discuss." Bowser said. "Any luck with the keyhole?"

"The heartless are searching every part of Hyrule now." Ganondorf responded. "Have some patience my scaly friend. We will find it, everything is under control. Even with the keyhole we would still need..."

"Your evilness!" Called two female elderly voices. The two witches came flying down on their broomsticks. They both were twins but one had hair colored like fire while the other had one colored like winter.

"Kotake and Koume reporting in sir." The one with fire said. She then turned to the ice one who has fallen asleep "Wake up Kotake!"

"Huh?" Kotake said sleepily. She then noticed Ganondorf and stood up right. "Oh, yes. We're here!"

"Any luck finding Zelda?" Ganondorf asked the sisters with hope.

"She disappeared like magic." Koume replied. "For seven years we've been checking but so sign or trace of her."

Ganondorf sighed. "That girl is more trouble then she's worth." He then turned to the witches. "Search. again!"

"Yes, your evilness." The witches said bowing before him. They then got on their broomsticks and left

Ganondorf sighed again saying. "So hard to find good help these days."

"I have everything under control." Bowser said mocking Ganondorf. "Ha! After seven years you still can't even capture one girl!"

"Looks who's talking Mr. I get my behind beaten by a fat guy for a decade Koopa!" Ganondorf yelled back.

Bowser just grumbled. "Lousy, Gerudo."

"I heard that!" Ganondorf shouted angrily at Bowser. "I have the power to turn you into a toad! So, you better watch it!"

"Fool!" Bowser said taking out the Star Rod. "I hold the Star Rod!"

"Stop!" Ganondorf shouted. "Hold everything! We're just over tired! Let's take a deep breath and refocus." The two villains took a deep breath through their noises and out their mouths. "That's better. But don't worry, Hyrule is full of hiding spots for little brats to hide. But why worry so much? All I need is the Triforce from her. With or without her this world will be ours once the keyhole is found."

"Listen hear bud, stated in one of Ansem's reports was that all seven princesses of heart need to be present in order to open the final door." Bowser growled. "It can't work with the ones I have so far. It's like completing a puzzle."

"So the princess is that important?" Ganondorf asked raising his eyebrow. Bowser nodded. "Very well! Heartless come fourth!" Heartless known as Gerudo thieves (Female heartless with giant swords) And Fat Bandits approached their master. "I've heard that a warrior named Sheik of the ancient Sheikah tribe has some information on Zelda's whereabouts. Find Sheik and bring him to me at once." The Heartless ran off in different direction.

"A word of advise my friend." Bowser said about to warn Ganondorf. "The heartless can consume the careless if you don't watch your back. So keep your eyes peeled."

"I'm touched by your poetic words of wisdom." Ganondorf said laughing. "But there is no need for concern. I can handle this!"

"Fine." Bowser snorted. "Be that way!" Bowser walked through a dark portal and disappeared.

Ganondorf just rolled his eyes. "Why is he in charge of this operation? I'm ten times smarter then that fool." He then stormed off to his castle as a mysterious figure was watching. The figure wore a giant white bandage around the top of the head and covering the mouth and nose so only the eyes and blonde hair are shown. The person wore a blue leather suit with white on the chest. The warrior vanished into thin air after watching the conversation.

Meanwhile, back out in the green fields of Hyrule, during a sunset, Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi were walking around.

"Where do you think that Lon Lon Ranch place is?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Beats me." Sora shrugged. "Toadsworth should have given us a map or at least directions."

"Looking for something, but don't know where to look?" Called a cheery voice. "Perhaps someone who has lived here for many years can help."

Everyone turned around and who they saw startled them. A man with red hair and pointy ears was in front of them. He wore a blue medieval coat, blue leather shirt, pants, and pointy blue boots. He wore a giant brown backpack that had masks hanging on it. But what really made them nervous was the creepy smiling face he had.

"Wh-who you?" Yoshi asked nervously.

"Ho! Ho!" The man laughed. "I am the Happy Mask Salesman. I travel throughout all of Hyrule to sell, buy, and trade masks."

"Wow, uh sounds interesting." Sora said.

"You three are welcomed to look around if you wish." The Salesman said. "You can even take one off and examine it."

Sora and Yoshi looked around at the masks while Luigi talks to the man nervously.

"_Terrifying, tortellini! That face can give you nightmares in seconds flat." _Luigi thought with a gulp. "Um, listen pal, we're trying to find a place called Lon Lon Ranch. You know where it is?"

"Oh, yes! for someone who has traveled by there many times I know the way." The Salesman said. "Use your ears, not your eyes."

Luigi blinked. "My ears?" All of a sudden Luigi heard a female voice signing. "That's beautiful. Who's signing that? An angel?"

"Close, but the daughter of Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch is signing that song." The Salesman said. Luigi could see a yong girl a bit older then Sora with long red hair walking back to a giant area where a ranch could be seen in the distance. "Her name is Malon and if you follow her you'll get to Lon Lon ranch."

"Thanks for the info then." Luigi smiled to the man.

Sora and Yoshi were looking at all the masks and trying them on.

"Yoshi a monster!" Yoshi growled wearing a mask with an open mouth.

Sora saw one odd mask that was multicolored, in the shape of a heart, had spiky points on the head, and big yellow eyes. Sora took the mask and observed it.

"What kind of mask is this sir?" Sora asked the man.

The man saw the mask and gasped in horror. He made the most scariest face at Sora and grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"NEVER EVER TOUCH THAT MASK AGAIN!" The man shouted at Sora.

Yoshi ran over to Luigi and jumped into his arms. "Yikes!"

"Y-YES SIR!" Sora said in shock. The man dropped Sora and he nervously handed over the mask and his group rejoined him. Sora was still in shock.

"Sora? Are you alright?" Luigi cried. "I'd be in shock too if I saw a face like that!"

"I heard that!"

"Sorry." Luigi gulped.

Sora got on the floor and curled up into a ball.

"I'm in my happy place! I'm in my happy place!"

"Kid, snap out of it!" Luigi shouted at Sora.

Sora came to and stood back up. "Sorry, I was sort of out of there."

The man approached the group with his happy face while the trio back up nervously.

"Sorry about that, but this mask known as Majora's Mask is very dangerous and can cause a disaster if placed in the hands of someone." The man explained.

"He had to tell us that after that crazy event." Luigi groaned rolling his eyes.

"I hope I was able to help you out boys." The man laughed. "I have to go and bring smiles to everyone! Ho! Ho! Ho! Farewell!"

The man skipped off into the sunset leaving a baffled Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi behind.

"I'm going to have nightmares tonight." Sora said.

"Me too." Luigi agreed. "By they way, that girl Malon should help us find the ranch so we can find a place to sleep."

Just then everyone could hear Malon screaming. They turned to see her surrounded by skeleton monsters.

"Hold on!" Sora called to Malon taking his keyblade out. Sora ran at the skeletons and slashed through them turning them into pieces. One tried to attack Malon but Sora kicked it aside. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine but these monsters can't be destroyed and more will come until morning." Malon said.

"She's right kid!" Luigi called. Sora turned around to see hundreds of skeletons charging at them.

"What we do?" Yoshi panicked.

"Follow me!" Malon said. "We'll be safe at my ranch!"

Luigi and the kids made a run for it. Any skeleton monsters that got in their way Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi would knock aside. The four finally made it up a hill and the Skeleton monsters turned and ran the other way. The four hurried up the hill and arrived at a ranch. One side had a yellow house, while the other had a brown stable. In the middle was a giant fence where horses inside were roaming around. The four caught their breath.

"I think we've ditched those bone heads." Luigi sighed.

Malon then turned to Sora. "My hero! You saved me!" She hugged Sora and kissed his forehead causing him to blush.

"Uh, no problem." Sora blushed. "It was nothing."

"Are you Malon?" Luigi asked her.

She pulled away from Sora and turned to Luigi. "Yes, I am. I'm the daughter of Talon, owner of this ranch. I was just coming home from shopping at Kakariko Village when those creatures attacked me." She then sighed. "Life was so much easier when I use to go to Hyrule Market Place."

"What happened to Market Place?" Yoshi asked.

"Seven years ago an evil man took over the castle and drove everyone out." Malon explained. "That man has caused nothing but mischief and he even drove my father's assistant Ingo insane, heartless, and cruel and he even took over the ranch driving my father out."

"In...who?"

"Greetings gentlemen and welcome to Lon Lon ranch." Called a voice. The trio turned to see a very tall, skinny man with a moustache and was wearing pink corduroy pants. "The happiest ranch on earth. If you want a guided tour, just ask."

"Why does he remind me of someone who is also tall, skinny, and good looking?" Luigi asked himself although he was referring to himself.

"Hm, he seems pretty normal to me." Sora shrugged.

"Well he was, until a fairy boy saved the ranch and returned him to normal and brought my father back." Malon smiled.

"Fairy boy?" Luigi said raising his eyebrow. "What kind of a person is that?"

"He's a person that has a fairy traveling with him." Malon said. She then sighed. "He was so brave. Oh, who are you three wandering travelers and how did you know my name?"

"I'm Sora and these are my friends Luigi and Yoshi." Sora said introducing himself. "And the guy from the Happy Mask Shop told us about you."

"Oh, him." Malon said a little disappointed. "He scares the cows at night and gives me bad dreams."

"Trust me, we've already got a taste of how scary he really is." Sora chuckled. "So anyways, we're looking for a place to stay for the night and we were told you could help us find one."

"I could, but I don't want you boys going back out there and get hurt." Malon said nervously. She then smiled. "For saving me, you three are welcomed to stay here for the night."

"Thanks, that be great." Yoshi said happily.

"I just need to ask my papa." Malon said. "He should be inside. You three can come in if you want."

The trio nodded and followed Malon into the yellow house. Inside the room had a table, hay in every corner, some chickens and a fat man who was sleeping. He also wore giant overalls but his was blue. Under it was a red sleeveless shirt. He also had a brown mustache but didn't have a lot of hair. Luigi's eyes widen and he talked sadly.

"He reminds me of my brother." Luigi sniffled.

Yoshi licked Luigi's face trying to cheer him up. Malon walked over to Talon and screamed at him.

"PAPA! GET UP!" She screamed.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Talon cried sitting up quickly. "What did I miss?" He then turned to see Malon. "Oh, Malon my baby girl, you're home."

"Do you always have to fall asleep on the job?" Malon said upset to her father. "That's what got you booted out of here last time."

"Well, I was about to feed the cuccos when I guess I must have dozed off again." Talon yawned. He then noticed a disappointment in his daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry baby girl, I promised I would try harder and I'll keep to it." Malon smiled and hugged her dad. He then turned his attention to Sora's group. "Oh, and who might you be young man?"

"This is Sora. He and his friends saved my life from those skeleton monsters." Malon smiled.

Talon stood up and shakes Sora's hand. "Well, I'll be! Thank you so much son! My baby means the world to me!"

"No problem sir!" Sora shuddered from Talon shaking him so hard.

"If there is anything I can do to repay you fellas just let me know." Talon said.

"Well, we could use a place to stay for the night." Luigi replied right away.

"Of course." Talon chortled. "We wouldn't let you leave without offering some are famous hospitality. However, we only have one extra bed, so two of you are going to have sleep in the barn house." He then turned to Malon "Honey, go set up the bed, I'll let these three discuss it."

Malon nodded and walked up stairs. Luigi crossed his arms.

"I'm not sleeping in the barn with those smelly cows." Luigi complained. "I've been through enough already! I ran into a wall, a doll hit me on the head, ruble fell on top of me, Yoshi tripped me, I ran into a door when Sora opened it, a duck stole my hotdog..."

Five hours later...

"And I fell out of plane and I won't take it anymore!" Luigi finished. He then t out a coin. "I'll flip a coin, heads I win, tails you lose."

"Luigi, that trick is older then time itself." Sora said rolling his eyes. "But you can argue with Yoshi over who gets to sleep there."

"What about Sora?" Yoshi asked concerned.

"I'm going to sleep out, under the stars tonight." Sora replied.

"Why on earth would you sleep out there when you can sleep in a nice warm bed?"

"Because it brings back memories of when some nights, if our parents would let us, Riku, Kairi, and myself would spend the night on our island. We would look up at the stars." Sora explained with a sigh. "It brings back the good times I had with them."

"Suit yourself then kid." Luigi said singy-songy. "Yoshi, you call it."

"No thanks." Yoshi said shaking his head. "Yoshi going to join Sora under the stars."

Sora pet Yoshi's head. "Thanks pal."

"Hee! Hee!" Luigi snickered. "That means me I'll be having a good-nights sleep, while you two will be freezing your butts off."

Malon and Talon both re-entered the room.

"Have you boys made a decision yet on who is sleeping where?" Talon asked entering the room.

"Me and Yoshi are going to sleep outside, while Luigi takes the bed." Sora said.

"Are you sure?" Talon asked concerned. "There's no..."

"There is a haystack out there that you two can lay in." Malon interrupted. "Papa, show Mr. Luigi to his room while I take Sora and Yoshi outside."

Talon nodded and the group split up. It's was now night time and Luigi was upstairs. He took off his cap and slipped under the covers.

"Ah." Luigi said with relief. "Nothing's going to go wrong tonight. I'm going to even get better sleep then those two. They're just bumped out because I'm the adult around here." Luigi yawned and began to fall asleep when the door creaked open and a cucco walked in and jumped on the bed. "Okay, listen up mack, this is my bed and you're not allowed on here." The cucco walked over to Luigi and pecked his head. "Ow! That's it! You're dinner now!" Luigi strangled the cucco and with a bit of it's breath left cried out a rooster's call and hundreds of cuccos entered the room "Leapen Lasagna!" They all piled on him. "AHH!"

Meanwhile, Sora jumped back into a haystack. Malon approached him with Yoshi.

"Are you sure you wish to stay out here?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Sora replied. "I have Yoshi here to watch over me."

Yoshi jumped into the haystack and then crawled onto Sora's lap, curling into a ball. Sora pet his head causing Yoshi to smile.

"I see everything is under control for you two." Malon giggled. "I'll be hanging around the fence if you need me. Good-night boys and see you in the morning."

Malon walked off and headed over to the fence where a horse was. Sora looked up at the sky and smiled thinking about the night Riku, Kairi, and him camped out on their island. They would play flashlight tag and Sora would be it first. He would run over to the dock to find Riku hiding under it. He would find Kairi in the secret place looking at scribbles on the wall. They would later set up a campfire and roast marshmallows. They would tell ghost stories to each other although Kairi wasn't very good at it. Finally, before they went to sleep, the trio would lay on the sand and pick a star from the sky. Sora and Kairi even picked stars next to each other. Sora was sad now because he missed all the good times. Although he found Riku, he still missed Kairi. Just then Sora could feel something nudging at his chin. He looked down to see Yoshi smiling at him. Sora pet Yoshi's head again and Yoshi licked his face. The two could hear Malon singing the song she sang before. Sora then realized that he should not worry and be happy and with that said, he and Yoshi fell asleep while hearing Malon sing. As for Poor Luigi...well, after 5 hours of trying, he finally fell asleep (Amazingly he had enough oxygen because he stuck his nose out the window) Next morning Sora and Yoshi yawned waking up from their peaceful sleep.

"Good morning Yoshi." Sora yawned. "Had a good-night's sleep?"

"Sora bet." Yoshi nodded.

Malon then ran up to Sora and Yoshi panting all the way. "Sora, Yoshi!

"Malon, what's wrong?"

"Your friend is in trouble!" She replied.

"What happened to Luigi?" Yoshi asked.

"Follow me!"

Moments later the kids arrived upstairs to see cuccos cramped in Luigi's room.

"How can he breath under there?" Sora asked surprised. "Yoshi can you get him out?"

"Yoshi try." Yoshi nodded. Yoshi stuck his tongue through an opening in the flock and seconds later pulled Luigi out. Luigi fell down and then sat up rubbing his back.

"Mama-mia." Luigi groaned. He then yawns. "I couldn't even sleep too much last night."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine kid." Luigi said sarcastically. "My back is all sore, I suffocated for a little bit, and I feel sick so yeah, I'm just peachy."

"Hey, you didn't call for help!" Sora argued. "How was I suppose to know, huh?"

"That's because my mouth was covered by poultry all night long!" Luigi replied with a snap.

"Maybe you would feel better if you boys had some breakfast." Malon said stopping the argument.

The three cheered and headed down stairs. Malon and Talon prepared pancakes for them and some of their famous milk. The three loved the milk so much that Sora bought some for the road. After a good breakfast Sora and his group said good-bye to Talon and Ingo as they left. Malon took them to the entrance of Hyrule Market Place but they noticed it started turning dark and damp upon arrival.

"This place scary." Yoshi whimpered.

"Sora, be careful." Malon said with caution. "No one has been here in the last seven years and I fear those horrible monsters might about will attack you."

"We'd be careful." Sora responded. "We're going to come back alive."

She then hugged Sora again and walked off.

"Well, kid." Luigi chuckled. "I didn't know you were such a ladies man."

"Well, I admit I am good looking." Sora laughed proudly. Yoshi and Luigi rolled their eyes. "I'm just kidding guys. But no more joking around, let's get in there and kick some butt!"

The trio entered the town. Upon arrival the trio encountered Gerudo thieves and Fat Bandits. The thieves were very fast and able to evade Sora's attack. He clashed his keyblade with their swords. One tried to attack him but Sora ducked under it and tripped one. He got back up and another one elbowed him in the face. Sora backed up and turned around to clash with another one. Fire Bandits shot fire at Luigi and he had to jump to evade the attacks or counter with ice. Luigi then knew of a way to beat them by switching to FLUDD. Luigi sprayed the bandits with water causing the bandits to growl in pain. Yoshi snuck up from behind and fired an egg at them. Using their tactics, they defeat the bandits. Luigi and Yoshi helped Sora finish off the rest of the heartless. They then walked into the center of town where they saw the zombie creatures.

"If I were to rate how much of a dump this place was. Giving it a one to ten, I'd give it a hundred." Luigi said in disgust.

"Whoever did this must be twisted and insane." Sora assumed.

The trio walked behind an ally where they saw another zombie curled up in a ball.

"It's that thing we just saw out there." Luigi said. Sora bravely walked up to it. "Kid, be very careful!"

Sora tapped it with his keyblade but it didn't even flinch. "Hm, maybe it's just a statue."

"It look life like." Yoshi pointed out.

"I agree with him kid." Luigi nodded agreeing with Yoshi.

"Aw, come on." Sora said countering what Luigi and Yoshi were saying. "It seems harmless."

Just then it moaned and stood up about to grab Sora.

"Sora! Look out!" Yoshi cried.

It was too late. The zombie jumped onto Sora's shoulders and began choking him to death. Luigi and Yoshi tried to shoo it off but it's grip was too strong. Luigi tried to use magic but it didn't work. He was going to use gravity but he realized that he would also hurt Sora in the process. Yoshi tried to kick it off but it's grip was too strong. Yoshi then started crying.

"Don't worry Yoshi." Luigi said warmly. "We're not giving up no matter what. We could use some help though."

"Help, be nice!" Yoshi nodded in agreement.

Just then a string went around the zombie's neck pulling it off Sora. He gasped for air and Luigi helped him out. The zombie got up but got struck right back down by the mysterious person who wore blue and had blonde hair. The person threw darts at the zombie causing it to fall down. The person grabbed the zombie and kicked it against the wall and fell down, staying down. Yoshi licked Sora's face and Sora laughed.

"Okay! Okay! Don't worry Yoshi! I'm alright now!" Sora laughed. He pets Yoshi's head and then turned to the person. "Thanks a lot, you saved my butt back there."

"Don't mention it." The person said in a monotone voice.

"Who are you?" Luigi demanded. "And why are you here?"

"My name is Sheik one of the last remaining Sheikah of an ancient tribe." The person responded. "I have been waiting for your arrival keyblade master." Sora began to respond but Sheik cut him off. "Surprised? Stories tell of many legends from many far off lands, and how they come together to stop the most powerful force in all the world. Destiny is like a path, the ones you take decides your fate."

Luigi raised his eyebrow. "Are you speaking it tongues by any chance?"

"No, but I guess I should clear things up." Sheik said. "This place use to live in piece ruled by the Mighty King and his Queen. They had a daughter named Zelda who held a special power, but then Ganondorf showed up."

"Ganondorf?" Yoshi said.

"I'd take you've never heard of him then. He was the vizier for the king, when he was able to gain access to the sacred realm known as the Temple of Time." Sheik pointed to a church not to far from them. "There, the power of time is controlled by the hero of time. The hero was chosen to open the secret realm but allowed the dark king to gain the power. Now, Zelda has disappeared and Ganondorf has been searching for her and something called a keyhole." Sora turned to Luigi and Yoshi and then turned back. "The only ones who can stop him now is the power of you Sora the keyblade master and the Hero of Time, Link."

"How did you know my..." Sora began but was cut off by Luigi

"As in the missing Link?" Luigi joked.

"Luigi, your jokes stink! Just deal with it!" Sora said annoyed.

Luigi just grumbled and put his hands in his pockets.

"In order to find the hero you must play this song with this." Sheik said handing Sora a brown ocarina.

"An ocarina?" Sora asked baffled.

"Return outside and play this song to get the transportation you need to find the hero." Sheik said pulling out a harp. He played a few notes which sounded familiar to everyone.

"It sounds like that song Malon was singing." Luigi exclaimed.

Sora put his mouth up to the ocarina and played the song back.

"How did Sora do that?"

"Funny thing, I used to play the ocarina." Sora chuckled. "It belonged to decedents of my family and I used to play a few notes."

"Now hurry and find Link!" Sheik said. "Tell him, I'll meet him at the Temple of Time and that Zelda is alive and is in danger."

"Link?" called Ganondorf. "Now where might I find that stupid boy?" Everyone looked up to see Ganondorf on a building. "Sheik, my dear friend. Why don't we talk about Zelda's whereabouts in a more suitable place, hm? These three are just peons., they would just get in the way."

"Run for it, Sheik!" Sora cried drawing his keyblade. "We'll handle this guy!"

Sheik threw a nut onto the ground and a flash caused him to get away. Ganondorf growled.

"Shoot, he got away!" Ganondorf said angrily. He then turns to Sora's group. "I won't let you meddlers get in my way. We'll meet again keyblade master!"

Ganondorf snapped his finger and heartless appeared in front of the trio.

"Come back here!" Sora called to Ganondorf. But it was too late, he was long gone. The trio quickly disposed of the heartless and ran back into town where more zombies were coming after them. "Run!"

The zombies had the ability to freeze the trio in their tracks but with Luigi's magic they were able to escape and finally get outside. They all panted from running so much.

"Boy, what a work out." Luigi sighed. He then turned to Sora. "Should we really trust this Sheik guy?"

"It's worth a shot." Sora said taking out the ocarina. He then played the song Sheik taught him. For a few moments everything seemed normal. "Nothings happening."

"He tricked us kid." Luigi groaned. "I knew from the first moment I saw him that..."

Just then everyone could hear a horse neighing. They turned to see a red horse, with white hair gallop up to the group. The horse stopped and began nudging Sora.

"Hey! Easy girl!" Sora laughed. "Hi there. What's your name?" The horse neighed at Sora. "Hm, interesting name."

"So, this song must have called this horse." Luigi assumed. "But why would Sheik send us this horse?"

"Beats Yoshi." Yoshi shrugged.

The horse then bent down for Sora and by the way she moved Sora could tell she wanted him to ride her.

"I think she wants you to ride." Luigi said. Sora slowly got on. "Be careful kid."

Sora sat on the horse and she then stood up. She stood up on her hind legs and neighed.

"Whoa!" Sora cried. The horse then took off. "Run away horse!"

Luigi got on Yoshi's back. "Quick kid! Follows that horse!"

"Yoshi do." Yoshi nodded.

Yoshi was able to keep up with the horse but the horse ran at a normal pace so Sora could tell the horse wasn't wild. She galloped down through the fields and onto dirty paths. Yoshi began to get tired but Luigi pushed him on. They finally headed up a mountain area and arrived at a small canyon. They noticed that the bridge was out.

"It's a dead end." Luigi said. "So, let's head back."

Sora was about to get off when the horse walked backwards away from the bridge and then took a giant leap at it and they got over it. The horse then galloped off. Yoshi stuck his tongue out at the bridge and the two pulled themselves across and followed the horse. They arrived at a small fortress but the horse headed into the desert area. Yoshi followed into the desert. The desert had high winds and it looked like anyone could get loss but the horse knew where it was going and Yoshi was right on her tail. After ten minutes, the horse finally arrived at another desert area but this one had a giant castle. There were flags to the left and the right of them. Sora jumped off the horse and rejoined his party.

"That was fun!" Sora cheered. "Can I do that again?"

Yoshi was tired.

"Give Yoshi a break Sora." Luigi said. "He's a bit pooped."

"Where are we?" Sora asked looking around. "I wonder why she led us here?"

"To run into trouble." Luigi gulped. "Look!"

Heartless came in from the left and right sides of our heros. Sora drew his keyblade and attacked the heartless head on. Yoshi gained enough strength to fight again and soon the other two joined the battle. The heartless were pretty tough but the trio managed to destroy them all. The trio caught their breaths but they all of a sudden heard a clanking sound.

"What that sound?" Yoshi gulped

Luigi turned around and his mouth dropped. "The sound of us becoming dead meat!"

Sora and Yoshi turned to see a giant man in giant armor carrying a giant ax. He swung it at Sora but he ducked under the attack. Luigi shot a fire spell at the armor man but he deflected the attack with a mighty swing.

"Wow!" Sora exclaimed. "He's so fast with that! He must work out a lot!"

Yoshi sent a flying kick at the armor man but he grabbed Yoshi's legs and threw him aside. Sora clashed his keyblade with the ax but the man easily pushed him down. Sora was about to fall when he jumped out of the way and the ax hit the ground causing an impact which sent Luigi and Yoshi flying. Sora clashed again but the man knocked it out of his hand.

"Sora! Yoshi and Luigi need to help!"

"Gravity should weaken him!" Luigi said conjuring up the spell.

The ball appeared above the armor man's head and it hit him causing him to get weak. He bent down on one knee while supporting himself with his ax. Given the chance, Sora hits him with a strong round house kick which sent him flying into a pillar. Luigi and Yoshi cheered as Sora turned to them smiling with a thumbs up. Just then everyone could here the armor man screaming. He got up, growled and charged at Sora with full rage. Sora picked up his keyblade and got ready to fight again. He was out of breath, but he bravely stood ready. Luigi and Yoshi join him as well.

"All for one and one for all, right?" Sora smiled to them.

Both of them nodded to Sora and they turned back towards the man. The man was about to attack with his ax when an arrow hit him in the chest. Everyone made confused looks and wondered who did that. Just then, a young man jumped in front of them. He wore a green tunic with a brown belt around his waist. He wore white tights and brown boots. He also wore a elf type green hat and had blonde hair and earrings. He carried a sword and a shield on his back. He took out the sword which had a blue handle and his shield which was blue and had a red bird and three yellow triangles.

"Stay back you vile fiend!" The young man shouted. He charged at the ax man and clashed with him. The ax man attacked but the young man ducked and rolled underneath the man and countered with a strong kick. The man tried to attack again but the young man threw a boomerang at him knocking the ax out of his hand. The armor man then took out a sword and the two clashed again. The man attacked the young man but he did a back flip and countered the attack knocking the armor man down. He got back up again and clashed again. "This guy won't give up! Navi!"

"I'm coming Link!" Called a small voice. Sora noticed a little yellow ball with wings floating towards Link. The ball landed right besides Link who was still in a blade lock with the armor man. "Need any advise?"

"I could sure use a strategy to beat this guy." Link responded struggling, "Hurry, I won't last much longer."

Navi began flying all over the armor man and then detected something.

"By George, I've got it!" Navi cried. "One stab to the stomach should do the trick."

"I kinda have my hands full at the moment." Link said.

"I'll give you a hand!" Sora cried charging at the armor with his keyblade out. Sora put his keyblade vertical and ran right at the armor. "Quick, move!" Link spun out of the way and Sora stabbed the armor in the gut. The armor screamed in pain and then fell down into pieces. A heart flied out of it and the four approached it.

"Is armor gone?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"Yeah, we're safe." Sora sighed.

"Boy, all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put this guy back together again." Luigi said commenting on the fallen armor.

"Thanks for help mister." Yoshi smiled at Link.

"No problem." Link chuckled. "It's what I do best." He then saw the horse. "Epona! Where have you been?" He walked over to the horse and pet her nose. "I've missed you girl."

"That's your horse?"

"She was a gift." Link replied with a chuckle.

"So that's why Sheik sent us..." Sora began.

"You know Sheik?" Link interrupted. "Explain!" Sora told Link about how they're from another world and explained about Sheik telling them to join forces. "Well then, any enemy of Ganondorf is a friend of mine. Besides, it's not easy getting the job done all by yourself. My name is Link. What's your name?"

"I'm Sora." Sora said shaking Link's hand. "And these are my buddies Luigi and Yoshi."

Sora stepped back as Luigi and Yoshi shook Link's hands. Sora's mouth dropped as he noticed something.

"Hey, everyone." Sora whispered.

"What's up kid?" Luigi asked Sora concerned.

"I see green people." Sora whispered.

"Where?" Yoshi said looking around.

"He's talking about us." Luigi snapped at Yoshi.

"Oh! Yoshi knew that." Yoshi giggled.

"That's not fair! I'm an outcast here!" Sora complained.

"It's not our fault you wear red!" Luigi said. "If my brother was here he could improve the odds, but for now deal with it. Besides, you sound like some dumb kid from a horror movie."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora growled at Luigi

"Um, maybe we should worry about that later." Link said trying to get back on topic.

"On the Toad Express we will deal with this." Sora said giving Luigi a dirty look. He then turned to Link. "So, what brings you out here Link?"

"On a quest to find the 6 sages." Link responded. "They are the only ones who can help me stop Ganondorf. I just payed a visit to the Spirt Temple. Throughout my adventures I had help from my horse Epona and my fairy friend Navi."

"Fairy?" Yoshi asked.

"He means me you naughty boy." Navi called.

Everyone turned to see the yellow ball floating around.

"Who you?"

"I'm Navi. The fairy of the Kokiri forest." Navi said proudly. "The fairies of that forest live there with the Kokiri children. All of the children have fairies."

"All of them?" Luigi asked.

"Except for him." Navi said flying around Link. "He was very lonely!"

"I had a friend!" Link snapped. "I wasn't alone!"

"But you didn't have a fairy friend." Navi pointed out.

"You got me there." Link chuckled.

"I help Link in his travels by giving him advise on his opponents." Navi continued. She then floated over to Sora. "And our opponents aren't exactly a cup of tea. So, what's our next plan of action Link?"

"We need to head back to the Temple of Time." Link said. "I just came in contact with Rauru one of the six sages and he said someone is waiting for me there." Link took out an ocarina which was blue.

"You have an ocarina too?" Sora gasped.

"Yeah, Princess Zelda gave it to me." Link blushed. "Seven years ago, when Ganondorf attacked the castle she ran away. Me and Zelda tried to stop him, but he succeeded on gaining complete power. I still regret pulling the Master Sword out." He took out his sword and looked at it. "If only I could tell her how I really feel for her." He then sighed. "But she's a princess, and I'm just a forest boy. She could never fall for a guy like me."

"That's not true." Sora disagreed. "The ocarina must have been a prized possession and I'm sure there was a reason she gave it to you."

"Well, she did say I could remember her by it." Link smiled. Link then made a sad look. "But I miss her."

Luigi then remembered something and gasped. "Wait a minute! Princess..."

"...Zelda?" Yoshi finished.

"Oh, that's right!" Sora exclaimed remembering. "She's alive but she's in trouble Link!"

"She is?" Link cried. "Come on! There's no time then!" Link ran over to Epona and the others joined him. He leaned against Epona. "Everyone, hold on to Epona! I'm going to play a song that should warp us back to the Temple of Time."

"Kid, you're crazy!" Luigi said rolling his eyes at Link. "You two can go along with Peter Pan boy's hocus pocus but I'm out of here."

"Suit yourself, Luigi." Sora said jumping onto Epona's back. "But don't come crying to me when you get lost in the storm."

Luigi grumbled and began to walk away. Link played a song and magical energy surrounded them. Luigi turned around to see this and quickly ran at them.

"Wait for me!"

Luigi touched Epona just in time as they disappeared Seconds later our heros arrive in the Hyrule fields.

"That's weird." Link said looking around. "We should have arrived at the Temple of Time."

"I sense some dark energy, Link." Navi said. "Perhaps, those black creatures we've been facing may have blocked the signal."

"Then we'll have to head back there without magic." Link said. "Sora, move back." Sora scooted back and Link jumped on to Epona. "Hang on!" Link smacked Epona on the side and she galloped off with a neigh.

"Let's go kid." Luigi said jumping on Yoshi's back.

"Aw." Yoshi moaned. "Yoshi tired."

"Stop complaining." Luigi snapped. "We have to help Sora and Link."

The four took off and headed through Hyrule fields. It was pretty calm at the moment and Navi was flying around.

"This is great!" She said. "It's so nice to visit other places besides staying in the same place."

"You don't get out much, huh?" Sora chuckled.

"It's what we fairies do." Navi sighed. "We're not allowed to leave the forest with the children but Link was given a special mission. But sadly, after this, I'll have to return home."

"How about this?" Link suggested. "After we stop Ganondorf, I'll let you go. You'll be free, you can go wherever you want."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Sure, but only after we beat Ganondorf." Link said.

Navi flied around Link and cheers.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you Link! You are a true friend." Navi cheered.

"No prob." Link laughed.

Our heros arrived at the entrance to the market place. Sora and Link jumped off of Epona while Luigi jumped off of Yoshi.

"And that's the whole story." Sora said telling Link about the keyhole.

"So, Ganondorf is not only after Zelda but this keyhole as well, right?" Link asked Sora. Sora just nodded in response.

"Keyhole." Navi pondered. "I could have sworn I heard that somewhere before."

"Really? Where?" Luigi asked excitedly.

"Hm, let me think." Navi said. "It's only been about two-hundred years."

"Forget, I asked." Luigi grumbled.

"Then we got to stop him!" Sora cried. "We can't let him hurt Zelda or get the keyhole."

They group then processed into the Market Place. As soon as they entered, the heartless attacked. Link used many advanced sword attacks on the heartless. He spun his sword knocking them all back. Link took out a bow and arrow and shot fire arrows at the heartless burning them. He then took out a bomb and threw it at a group. It explodes causing the heartless to go flying into the air. While they're in the air, he threw a boomerang at the heartless turning them into dust. One tried to strike him but he back flipped, dodging the attack. Link clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground causing a wave of fire to destroy more of the heartless. Sora and the others finished off the rest of the heartless and then rejoined Link. They entered town to see those zombie creatures.

"Great, not those guys again." Sora moaned. "We're never going to get there."

"Watch this." Link said pulling out his ocarina. He played a song that caused a yellow light to surround him. The zombies then stood still.

"What happened?" Yoshi asked Link.

"The Sun Song relaxes the un-dead and freezes them up." Link explained. "It even turns night into day." Sora's group made confused looks at Link.

"I don't see a change."

"That's because there are dark clouds covering the sky." Link pointed out. "I can't believe you guys didn't notice that."

"Oh, I did." Luigi lied. "I was just waiting for Sora and Yoshi to figure it out."

"Yeah, right." Sora grumbled.

"I suggest we waste no time here and head to the Temple of Time!" Link said.

"Okay!" Sora nodded.

The four headed over to the left and arrive at the temple and entered it. The place had a giant red carpet, and the room was white. It looked like a church. In front of them they saw a giant opened door and above it was the three yellow triangles. The four walked ahead noticing three stones floating around.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Sora called out.

"Nobody home. Maybe person taking nap." Yoshi assumed.

"No one here but us." Called a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see Ganondorf standing in front of them holding Sheik. Next to him was the witch sisters.

"Ganondorf!" Link cried. "Let Sheik go! He's not your concerned!"

"Sorry, setting your sites a little high aren't you?" Ganondorf laughed. "You see, appearances can be quite deceiving. Even for little traitors!"

"What are you talking about?" Link asked suspiciously.

"Her disguise didn't fools us." Ganondorf replied. Ganondorf chanted a magic spell and Sheik transformed into a woman who wore a pink dress and had long yellow hair.

"Sheik is not a man..." Sora began to say.

"It's a woman baby." Luigi said in a British accent.

"Luigi, this isn't the time to fool around!" Sora snapped angrily.

Link's eyes widen as he saw the girl. "ZELDA!"

"Link..." She said weakly. "I'm sorry. I tried to help but I never knew that upon opening the sacred realm we would have released such a great evil. I ran away with Impa and for seven years I hid out. You hold the triforce of courage in your hand, while I hold the triforce of wisdom. He is after this power and you must never let it go."

"That's quite enough." Ganondorf said frustrated. "I commend you on hiding from me for seven years." He then turned to Link. "But I won't allow you boy to trouble the princess anymore."

"I don't think so!" Link cried charging at Ganondorf with his sword. Link tried to attack but Ganondorf put out his hand and sent a dark wave at Link sending him flying.

Link flew back screaming and fell on top of Sora. Link stood back up.

"Sora and Link okay?" Yoshi asked concerned.

"I'm fine, but he's not." Link said angrily towards Ganondorf. He then turned to Navi. "Navi! Find a weakness on this guy!"

"Right, Link!" Navi shouted flying at Ganondorf.

"Fool!" Ganondorf laughed. "I have no weakness, but your fairy friend could be very useful to me." Ganondorf stuck out his hand and pulled Navi in with a dark wave.

Navi struggled a lot but she got pulled in. Kotake grabbed her.

"Got her!" Kotake cackled.

"Link! Help!" Navi cried.

"Navi no!" Link cried.

"Let them go Ganondorf!" Sora demanded.

"Sorry, boy! We'll have our fun later." Ganondorf said with a sinister chuckle. "So, I bid you all farewell! Phantom Ganon! Attack!"

The villains were about to disappears when Zelda threw an arrow to Link and he caught it. Another person took the villains place. He wore the same clothing as Ganondorf but had a dog's head. He also wielded a giant staff.

"Now what?" Luigi groaned.

Phantom Ganon attacked Link but Sora clashed with him. "Get out of the way!" Link rolled out of the way and PG knocked Sora back. Sora tried to attack again but PG fired a laser at him knocking him back.

Luigi shot a thunder spell at PG but he deflected the attack away.

"This guy can't be effected by magic!" Luigi cried.

Yoshi tried a tail whip but PG grabbed his tail and threw him aside. Sora and Link both clashed with PG and they tried to push down on him but he pushed them back sending them flying. Link shot an arrow at him but he deflected it.

"Man, this guy counters our every move!" Sora said in surprise.

"Let's double team him!" Link cried.

Sora used his Sonic Blade badge and began zooming around PG, confusing him. Given the chance, Link struck down PG hard and he fell to the ground. The four all began striking him while he was down but he then used a dark wave to send the four flying across the room. Sora attacked again but PG fired an energy ball at Sora. He deflected the attack right back at PG and PG then deflected it back at him. The two then started playing tennis with it.

"Man, this kid would have been good on the tennis team." Luigi said impressed.

"But we need a plan to help him." Link said. "He won't last much longer." He then remembered the arrow Zelda gave him and took it out. He could here Zelda's voice.

"_Link!" _Zelda called. Link looked around. _"I'm with you Link. Only you can banish the darkness with the light. The light arrow can blind even the most powerful foes. Use it well and good luck to thee. We're all counting on you." _

Link took out his bow and put the light arrow on it and fired it. PG sent the ball back to a tired Sora and then the arrow hit PG in the face causing him to scream in pain.

"Deflect attack!" Yoshi called to Sora.

Sora deflected the attack and it hit PG knocking him down. Sora rammed PG into the wall and rapidly slashed him. PG knocked Sora back again and was about to attack when Link knocked him aside.

"That was awesome Link!" Sora said impressed. "You saved me."

"Let's worry about thank you later, kid." Link said looking over at PG.

PG got up and flew at Sora and Link. Link fired the light arrow again and it knocked PG down. Sora slashed at PG knocking him into a wall. Sora grabbed PG's hand and threw him at Link.

"Finish him!"

Link put his sword out and it began glowing until it turns gold. When PG got to him Link spun his body rapidly attacking PG. Luigi and Yoshi put there hands facing up and put the tip of there fingers together. Sora stepped on their hands and jumped up. Link knocked PG into the air and Sora brought his keyblade down on PG. They crashed into the ground causing ruble to go flying and sent Luigi, Yoshi, and Link flying. Everyone stood up and the smoke cleared revealing Sora taking his keyblade out of PG's stomach and jumping back. A dark wave appeared below PG and he floated up.

"What happening?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Well, I'm impressed." Called Ganondorf's voice. "You actually defeated my weaker version!"

"You fiend!" Link shouted at the sky. "Where are they?"

"They're at my lair and if you wish to rescue them, you'll come and surrender over the Triforce of Courage to me." Ganondorf instructed. "I'll be waiting for you gentlemen!" He then laughed. "You have disappointed me! Never send a phantom to do the job! Now begone to the world of the heartless!" He then laughed maniacally and his voice faded out as PG disappeared.

"That's something you don't want to hear in the morning." Luigi said in a nervous voice. "But I'd rather hear that then seeing the Happy Mask Shop guy again."

"What do we do Link?" Sora asked turning to Link.

Link took out the ocarina of time and clenched it while whispering whispers. "I promised and I won't break it!" He then turned to Sora's group. "I don't want to trouble you three anymore. You should go home and let me take care of things."

"Kid, you're crazy to think we'd let you do this by yourself." Luigi said putting his hand on Link's shoulder.

"We made it this far together." Sora added. "So don't you think we should go together? The four of us together will beat Ganondorf just the way we beat that faker."

"All for one and one for all!" Yoshi cheered.

Link smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad to have friends like you. I never had too many friends in the outside world, but I'm glad to have made some new ones." Link stood up and acted like a General. "Everyone! To Ganondorf's castle! Let's move!"

The four heros headed out and headed up North through town to Ganondorf's castle where the battle was about to begin.

**To Be Continued...**


	14. A Link to the Keyhole Part II

**Chapter XIII: A "Link" to the Keyhole Part II**

Sora's group ran through the rest of town fighting heartless as they go. Sora slashed, Luigi sucked, Yoshi ate, and Link bombed using his bombs. On the way Sora picked up a summon gem but he noticed that it wasn't glowing like the other ones. So, he shrugged and pocketed it. About a few minutes later, they arrived outside of Ganondorf's castle. Link gasped in horror upon seeing it. The castle was very dark, it had spike edges all around it and was floating on a little island. Sora looked down and noticed lava with a spinning vortex. The middle looked like it lead into a dark abyss.

"So, I'm guessing Zelda used to live here." Sora said turning to Link.

"Yeah, I remember. It was beautiful but now that fiend has turned it into his own place." Link said angrily. Link took out his sword and waved it in the air. "Come on! Let's do it!"

"Hold on kid!" Luigi said stopping Link. "If you took the minute to notice, there's no bridge leading to the castle."

"What do we do then?" Sora asked. "I'm figuring Ganondorf must have flown into the castle with Zelda and Navi. And we can't fly."

"And Yoshi didn't bring magic P-wing." Yoshi added snapping his fingers.

Everyone sighed knowing they couldn't get in. Just then Link heard a voice.

"Hero of Time!" Called the voice. "Can you hear me?"

Link looked up. "Yes, Rauru! I'm here!"

Luigi raised his eyebrow at Link. "Kid, have you been drinking too much eggnog?"

"Quite!" Sora snapped at Luigi. "Maybe someone is trying to communicate with him."

"A ghost?" Yoshi whimpered

Sora shrugged and turned back to Link.

"We the six sages are here to help you." Rauru said to Link. "We shall summon a magical bridge to help you and your friends make it to Ganondorf's castle."

A light shined in the sky and everyone looked up. Rays of light hit the path between our heros and the entrance to the lair. A bridge formed between the two points. It then flashed making a colorful bridge appear.

"Well, a bridge just appeared out of nowhere." Sora said sarcastically. "What are the odds of that?"

"Is it solid?" Luigi asked Link.

"I can trust the sages." Link responded. "I'm pretty sure it's solid."

"But maybe someone should check it out first." Luigi said. "Just to be safe."

"Okay, glad you could volunteer Luigi." Sora smiled patting Luigi on the back.

"What?" Luigi cried. "Why do I have to be the dummy? Don't I get a say in this? Or at least a poll?"

"Fine! All in favor of Luigi being the dummy..er..I mean checking out the bridge say aye!" Sora announced to everyone.

"Aye!" Sora and Link said together.

"Yoshi give five ayes!" Yoshi giggled.

"And all against?"

Luigi raised his hand slowly and talked in a little high pitched voice. "Um, I...see dead people?"

Sora lowered his eyes at Luigi. "Very funny, Luigi. But here's something to laugh at; 3 to 1, you lose!"

"Thanks for pointing that out kid." Luigi grumbled. "All of you will regret this!"

"Hurry Luigi!" Link said angrily. "We can't waste time!"

Luigi slowly walked over to the bridge. He looked back at everyone and noticed them giving a gesture to walk on. Luigi gently put one foot on and then the other. He then walked around the bridge laughing He then started to dance on it but then slipped and almost fell. He pulled himself back up and quickly ran to the other side to where the entrance was.

"Come, on!" Luigi called to his friend. "Last one in is a rotten Yoshi egg."

"Yoshi not going to be rotten egg!" Yoshi said running across the bridge and into the castle. Link and Sora shrugged and followed the others in. The inside of the entrance was very dark, a path way of stairs led down.

Sora and his friends made their way down the stairs. On the way of course heartless attacked. Sora and Link used their sword skills to clash with the Gerudo thieves while Yoshi and Luigi outsmarted the Fat Bandits. After the four finished them off, they headed into the next room. It was a giant round room with a pillar that had a hole at the bottom. Sora looked up and noticed six different colored energy lines that hit the pillar and came all the way from a diamond shaped thing. Below it was a circle with a different color and even more below it was a door.

"Okay, this is creepy." Luigi said observing the area.

"They must be at the top of the tower!" Link told everyone. "Come on!"

Link ran at the pillar as fast as he could.

"Don't you ever think kid?" Luigi said annoyed at Link.

But it was too late, a barrier surrounding the field knocked Link back. Sora's group ran up to him.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Sora asked concerned.

"I've been better." Link groaned standing up. He looked around the room. "I sense a strange power coming from each room."

"Hero of time!" Called Rauru. "The five doors you see contain a power source that is keeping the entrance to the top of the tower sealed off."

"But I see six energy streams." Link said to Rauru.

"The sixth one is covered by ruble and only strength can open it. Each seal in each room can be broken off with a light arrow." Rauru responded. "I suggest splitting up to cover more ground."

"Thanks, Rauru." Link nodded. He then turned to everyone. "We can cut the power off of each energy line by hitting it with a light arrow." He then handed everyone a light arrow. "There should be an energy source that can cut it off."

"Are you crazy or what?" Luigi shouted at Link. "How are you sure this is going to work?"

"I trust him." Sora said smiling at Link.

"Yoshi trust too." Yoshi nodded.

Link smiled to his friends. "Thanks guys!"

"Okay, okay I'll give it a try." Luigi chuckled. "I guess it's worth a shot."

"There's no time to lose!" Link cried. "We'll meet back here and then worry about the last two doors."

Sora's team nodded and headed off. Sora entered a room with hundreds of chest. He noticed a door with a keyhole on it.

"_One of these chests has to have the key." _Sora though. He tapped one chest with his keyblade and got zapped. "Okay, that feeling wasn't sensational." Sora tried most of the chests but he mostly got zapped. One of the chests he found contained Pikmin and a torn page from Wiseman's book. He then got ticked off after trying so many chests. "I'm just going to open the door with my keyblade!" Sora unlocked the door and entered a room full of heartless. Sora jumped on the Giant Bandit and rode it. The bandit was confused and shoot fire at the other heartless. Afterwards, Sora took care of the bandit and walked into another room and noticed a flying circular energy wave. "This must be the thing Link told me to hit!"

Sora threw the light arrow at the energy ball and it obliterated. A young girl with green hair and green clothing appeared before Sora.

"Hurry keyblade master!" She said. "The darkness grows and your friends need you."

Before Sora could respond a light flashed before his eyes and he could feel his body being pulled back to the beginning of the room. Seconds later, he opened his eyes and could see in fact he was back in the first room.

"Okay, that was weird." Sora said slowly.

The energy wave for Sora's room disappeared. Luigi was in an ice room and he was shivering.

"Freezing, fettuccini!" Luigi shivered. "If I knew it was going to be winter time, I would have brought a sweater." Luigi walked around the ice room and began slipping around on the ice. He almost fell off a cliff but managed to slide away from it. "Nothing can stop me now!" He then crashed into a wall. "Maybe I spoke a little too soon." He stood up and walked around the room. Luigi noticed ice bats flying at him and he used fire to destroy them. Luigi noticed a few different blocks around and a path way with a red icicle. Since he could jump really high, he jumped onto the platform to where the path was and shot fire at it, but nothing happens. "Huh?"

"Luigi, may I make a suggestion?" Called FLUDD. Luigi pressed the button on the P3000 and FLUDD appeared. "My sensor indicate that only blue fire can melt that ice. There is fire over there, so we can use it to melt the ice."

Luigi ran over to another ledge with blue fire and used the P3000 to suck some of it up. He quickly ran back to the other side and melted the ice. He entered the next room to see the same energy ball as Sora did, but it was a different color.

"This must be that thing I'm suppose hit with that arrow." Luigi assumed taking out his arrow.

He threw it at the ball and the energy disappeared. A young woman who had light white skin and fins appeared in front of Luigi.

"Hurry mister Luigi." The young woman said. "The darkness grows and your friends need your help."

Before Luigi could speak he got warped back to the beginning of the room the same way Sora did. He looked around with a confused look.

"How did I...forget it." He groaned.

The energy wave for Luigi's room disappeared. Yoshi was in another room with a maze. He noticed a door with metal bars on it. He walked around a corner and noticed a button. He pressed it and a pathway opened. He walked up the path and saw a switch.

"Yoshi wonder what switch do." He kicked the switch and the door with bars open. "Door open!" Yoshi heard a timer go off and gasped realizing that the bars might reappear. Using his speed he ran as fast as he could to the door. The ticking got so fast that the bars were ready to fall. Yoshi dived for it and slid through the door just in time as the bars fell down. Yoshi sat up and made a relieved sigh. He was in the same room where the energy balls were but this time, there were none around. Yoshi was stumped and wondered where the energy source was. "Yoshi tired." He leaned against a wall but then he fell through it arriving in a dark hallway. "Hm, Yoshi find secret path and it dark and scary." Yoshi ran down the path and was sniffing out anything. He arrived in the same exact room but this time it had the energy ball. "This must be energy source Mr. Link wanted Yoshi to find." Yoshi went through his saddle and pulled out his light arrow and threw it at the ball of energy. A female Gerudo appeared before Yoshi.

"Hurry little guy." She said. "The darkness grows and your friends need your help."

The same thing happened again and Yoshi arrived at the beginning of the room.

"How that happened?" Yoshi asked himself. "Maybe, it best if Yoshi don't know."

The energy wave for Yoshi's room disappeared. Link was in a room that has platforms floating on lava. Link was wearing a red version of his tunic.

"The heat in this room could have caused me to pass out, but luckily I packed a fire tunic which protects me." Link said to himself. Link jumped onto a platform and a fireball tried to him but he took out an ice arrow and shot it at the fireball. He took out a hookshot and fired it at another far away platform and flew towards it. He quicky pulled himself up from the platform only to get knocked back by fire bats. The fire didn't effect him but he got knocked back. He stood up and shot more ice arrows at them. Link could see a black and white target in the distance and below it was an eye in a diamond and even further below was another bared door. Link shot a normal arrow at the eye and it closed. The bars open and Link used his hookshot to launch across by hitting the target. He arrived in the next room which was the same as all the others were at the end. Link took out his bow and light arrow and loaded it. "With the power of the light arrow, I set you free!" Link fired the light arrow and the next energy ball disappeared. A brown tubby creature with white hair appears.

"Hurry brother!" He said. "The darkness grows and your friends need your help."

"I will!" Link nodded. He got transported back to the beginning of the room. "Never underestimate the power of a sage."

The energy wave for Link's room disappeared. Everyone headed out each door and reunited.

"That should do it." Sora said smacking his hands together.

"We've got them all, right?" Luigi asked Link.

Link shook his head. "Almost, there are only two more rooms. The room of Time and the room of Shadows. Sora and I will take the room of shadows and you two take the room of time."

"But Yoshi only see one free door." Yoshi pointed out.

Link noticed an energy wave coming out and under it was a giant rock.

"That door leads to the room of time." Link said. "We just need to move that rock out of the way."

Luigi rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, out of the way! Here comes Mr. Muscles!"

"Oh, I cannot wait to see this." Sora chuckled.

Luigi tried to push the rock but it didn't work. He tried lifting it but it didn't work. He tried biting it, shooting fire, ice, lightning, punches, kicking, and even tried a bomb but it blew him up instead. Sora and Yoshi both giggled to themselves and Link chuckles.

"Hey, let's see if you can do any better!" Luigi said angrily at them.

"Stand back!" Link shouted. Link walked over to it and put his hands under it and lifted it up and threw it aside revealing a door. Everyone else dropped their mouths wide open.

"How did you..." Sora began in shock.

"These gloves I'm wearing gives me super human strength." Link explained. "I can lift a lot of heavy things with it."

Luigi looked at his gloves and made a disappointed look. "How come my gloves can't do that?"

"Because Luigi, you don't have pointy ears." Sora responded.

Link ignored the comment and ran up the stairs. Sora followed Link upstairs and they both entered the next room. Luigi and Yoshi entered the room of time only to encounter heartless. They quickly destroyed the heartless and headed into a room with spikes moving around the room. Luigi and Yoshi evaded them. (with the exception of Luigi falling on one of them with his behind) They arrived in yet another room with an energy ball. Luigi threw another arrow at it and Rauru appeared before them. A chubby man with white hair and an orange robe.

"Hurry you two." Rauru said. "The darkness..."

"...grows and our friends need us. We've gone through the crash course already and I don't need any more advise from a fat guy wearing a night gown." Luigi moaned.

"Um, Luigi maybe you should..."

"Quite kid! I'm on a roll!" Luigi interrupted Yoshi.

An orange lightning bolt hit Luigi and they got sent back to the beginning of the room. Yoshi looked down to see Luigi smoking and passed out.

"No time for nap!" Yoshi shouted at Luigi. "Luigi and Yoshi need to move!"

The energy wave for Luigi and Yoshi's room disappeared. Sora and Link reached the energy ball after going through the shadow room. There were no platforms in the room but Link used a device called the Eye of truth which showed him the platforms. Sora slowly followed Link across until they reached the next room. In the next room the could hear noises but couldn't see anything. Link uses the Eye of Truth revealing heartless. Link charged up his sword and spun his body destroying them in one shot. In the room with the ball, Link shot the ball with his light arrow and a woman with white hair who almost wore similar clothes to Sheik appeared

"Impa." Link said sadly to her. "I'm sorry about..."

"Don't worry about it Link." Impa interrupted him. "I know that Zelda is captured but that doesn't mean I'll still be watching over her. Ever since she was a little girl I sworn to protect her and you Link are her shield now. When I first met you I knew you would one day become the handsome young man to protect Zelda from the darkness. And only you can bring piece back to Hyrule. Please be careful."

Link nodded to her and turned to Sora. "Hopefully, your friends destroyed the other energy ball, so we should now have access to the tower."

"Then, let's get going." Sora said giving a thumbs up.

They returned back to the start of the room and met up with Luigi and Yoshi.

"Good job everyone." Link said with a smile. "We are now one step closer to stopping Ganondorf!"

"Good thing because some of those sages can't take a joke." Luigi sighed remembering what happened in the room of time.

"Let's do it!" Sora cried.

The four headed into the pillar and made their way to Ganondorf. Meanwhile, at the top of the lair, Ganondorf was standing in the middle of a giant room with giant yellow windows all around. In the middle of the room was a giant organ and above it was Zelda locked in a crystal seal. Navi was in chains.

"Let me out of here you monster!" Navi cried. "You'll never get away with this!"

"She's right! And you'll never gain the power you deserve you vile traitor." Zelda added. "You swore your allegiance to my father and in the end you betrayed him and took over this kingdom."

"Your old man was a weak leader." Ganondorf laughed. "I would never pledge my allegiance to such a fool. So, using the sacred realm of time I was able to call upon the triforce of power. Now, all I need is the three triforces to be gathered and then part one of your nightmare will be complete."

"Part one?" Zelda asked suspiciously.

The witch sisters entered the room.

"Sir, sir!" They both cried.

"What is it now you old hags?" Ganondorf sighed.

"The hero of time and his friends are on their way to the top of the tower." Kotake said.

"Excellent." Ganondorf chuckled sinisterly. "Now to begin phase two of my evil plans!" He then put his hand out to Navi. "Now fairy, using your power to detect things, reveal to me the keyhole!"

"Never!" Navi shouted. "I'll never do it!"

"How are the children of Kokiri forest?" Ganondorf asked Navi with an evil grin. "Happy? Healthy?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well because I'm sure the children will enjoy it when I have turned them all into skull kids and turn the whole forest into a lost world." Ganondorf responded with a sinister chuckle.

"You wouldn't dare?" Navi snarled.

"I would!"

Navi sighed sadly. "Fine, as you wish!"

"I knew you would see things my way." Ganondorf smirked. "Kotake! Koume! Release the fairy at once!"

The witch sisters took the chains off of Navi and she floated over to a corner. She then spun around vertically and went really fast. Seconds later she stopped spinning and the keyhole appeared in front of her. Ganondorf started laughing manically.

Our heros had to climb a flight of stairs battling heartless as they go. Our heros arrived at small rooms where they encountered skeleton guards. (Skeletons with a sword and a shield) Link and Sora clashed blades with skeletons and easily crushed them but one appeared from behind. Yoshi fired an egg at one, knocking it into pieces. Everyone crushed the bones to make sure it couldn't pull itself together again. In the next room, the armor man that Sora's group first fought with Link was back. They were guarding a giant yellow treasure chest. But now there were two armor men. Sora and Luigi took on one while Link and Yoshi dealt with the other one. Sora slashed at the armor but he dodged the attack and counters with his ax. Luigi jumped on top of Sora to help him get down as the ax attacked. Luigi squirt water out from fludd which started rusting. Sora stabbed the armor and it fell down to pieces.

"Who da man?" Luigi said proudly.

"You da man!" Sora said giving Luigi a high five.

Link clashed with the armor and the armor pushed Link back. Yoshi puts his tail out and tripped the armor. Link jumped onto the armor and took out a hammer.

"Chew on this!" Link shouted.

He brung the hammer down on the armor making a hole in it. The armor pieces fell off and they all disappeared.

"We did it!" Sora cheered.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cried.

Link walked up to the chest and opened it. Inside it was a giant key with a red ruby in the middle.

"This is they key that will get us into the balcony." Link told everyone.

"How come the bad guys are always at the top of the tower?" Luigi groaned.

"Must be a tradition." Sora assumed with a shrug.

The four heros headed up the next set of stairs and arrived in a dark room. To the left they noticed another door and using the key they opened it. They saw yet another flight of stairs. Everyone groaned as they walked up. As they walked up they could hear organ music. Link said "We must be close." So, everyone kept going. They finally reached the top when Luigi tripped on a step and fell back knocking into everyone and they all rolled down the stairs.

"NICE GOING STUPID!" Sora shouted as they rolled down the stairs.

They ran up the stairs again and reached the top panting.

"This time we made it!" Link sighed.

"Yeah, this time danger prone Luigi got us into his little act." Sora added.

"Hey, I'm not clumsy all the time." Luigi said angrily at Sora. Luigi turned around and ran right into a door and fell down. "Okay, maybe I was wrong."

"Come on! We're running out of time!"

The heros made their way towards the last door. Back inside Ganondorf's room, Bowser and Jr arrived to see Zelda.

"Good, you've got her." Bowser said with a gleeful laugh. "Everything goes according to plan."

"Papa, why is mama Peach asleep?" Jr asked his father.

"Because son she's taking a nap." Bowser said putting his hand on his son's back.

"For two days?"

"Well...you see..." The two Koopas could then hear the organ music. Ganondorf was playing the organ and was enjoying it. However, Bowser was not. "You're going to go deaf from those things and it's been driving me nuts!"

Ganondorf turned to Bowser and talked with sarcasm. "I'm sorry, it's just I like to do other things besides tormenting people."

"Well, I'm pleased Ganondorf." Bowser said with a wicked smile. "We have the princes and the keyhole. Nothing bad can go wrong now."

"The only problem is that Link is on his way here." Ganondorf said sadly. "But the really problem is that Sora kid and his friend who are with that stupid boy."

"That brat is giving you problems?" Bowser exclaimed.

"I told you papa, their persistence is so annoying!" Jr told Bowser.

"Don't worry Jr, they won't bother mama Peach." Bowser said patting his son's head.

"Why not explain the situation to that boy Riku then." Ganondorf suggested.

"Why?" Bowser snorted.

"Because if we do it could prove useful..."

Just then the bad guys could here the sounds of footsteps and they turned to see Sora and his friends.

"Great!" Bowser groaned rolling his eyes. "Just what I needed."

"You must be Bowser!" Sora shouted pointing at Bowser.

"It's not nice to point kid but yes I am him." Bowser said with a smirk. He then noticed Luigi. "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. If it isn't baby brother."

Luigi waved a fist at Bowser. "Bowser, you've gone too far this time! First kidnaping Peach and now using the heartless for your own evil.

"I'm flattered." Bowser said blushing to Luigi. "But there's nothing you can do without that fat plum dumb brother of your. You're the second banana, you could never beat me. Especially with this!" Bowser took out the Star Rod and Luigi and Yoshi gasped in horror.

"You did steal the Star Rod again!" Luigi cried. "And I guess you had help from the heartless this time!"

"Correct Luigi!" Bowser laughed. "And now I'm invincible once again. So not even the keyblade can slow me down."

"That's right and I won't allow you to harm mama Peach anymore." Jr added.

"For the last time kid, that's not your mom!" Luigi said frustrated at Jr. "Your dear old dad tricked you!"

"Papa would never do a thing like that to me." Jr snarled at Luigi. He then turned to Bowser. "Right Papa?"

"Um, sure son." Bowser lied. "Let's go! Ganondorf will take care of you four!"

Bowser and Jr disappeared leaving a baffled Link.

"Um, who was that?" Link asked Luigi.

"You don't want to know." Luigi responded.

Link looked up to see Zelda trapped in her crystal seal.

"Link!" She cried.

"Zelda!" Link cried back. He then took out his sword. "Let her go Ganondorf!"

"What do you expect me to say? Sure why not?" Ganondorf said rolling his eyes. "You can have the fairy back but even after I take what's mine, Zelda is still needed. You see she's a princess."

"Thanks for letting us know about that Captain Obvious." Luigi said sarcastically.

"Silence!" Ganondorf snapped. "She's more then just a princess, she is one of seven who hold the key to opening the door."

Sora and Luigi gasped upon hearing that, remembering what Leon told them.

"What door?" Yoshi asked.

"There's no point in telling you because you won't live to see what lies beyond it." Ganondorf smirked.

Navi flew up to Link and landed in his hand.

"Navi!" Link cried. "You're okay!"

"Now, give me the power of courage!" Ganondorf shouted.

He fired a dark wave out of his hand and Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi rolled out of the way while the wave hit Link and Navi moved.

"Link!" Sora, Yoshi, and Luigi cried.

Link screamed in pain from the darkness and Navi floated near the waves and called to him. "I'm sorry Link but I can't get too close because of the wave of darkness."

Link got on his hands and knees and Sora's group helped him up.

"You okay?" Sora asked concerned.

Link nodded. "I'm fine."

Kotake and Koume floated around our heros and they laughed wickedly.

"Look at those poor fools!" Kotake laughed. "They came all this way just to die!"

"With my flames I will burn them to the bone." Koume said.

"With my ice I will freeze them to their souls." Kotake said.

"Let the fun begin!" Ganondorf laughed. He floated into the air and the organ disappeared. He pounded the ground with his fist sending everyone flying and pieces of the floor came off.

"What we do?" Yoshi asked Sora panicking.

"Luigi, Yoshi, take care of those hags and we'll deal with Ganondorf!" Sora instructed.

Luigi and Yoshi charged at the witch sisters while Sora and Link ran at Ganondorf. Ganondorf floated down and took out a giant sword and clashed with both Link and Sora. He tried swiping at them but Sora ducked underneath. Sora tried to counterattack but Ganondorf put his hand out sending Sora flying. Link punched Ganondorf in the face sending him crashing into a wall. He rubbed his cheek and stood up.

"Not bad, kid." Ganondorf said rubbing his cheek. "You actually struck me. But I'm only warming up!"

Ganondorf flew at Link and pushed him into a wall. Ganondorf was about to bring his sword down when Sora clashed the attack and kicked him in the stomach. Ganondorf fell down but got up and fired the energy ball Phantom Ganon shot earlier. Link blocked it with his shield and tries to attack again but Ganondorf kicked him aside. Sora spun in and kicked Ganondorf again sending him sliding across the floor. Ganondorf stood up with an angry look.

"Now, you're dead!" Ganondorf said in frustration.

Luigi and Yoshi dodged the witch sister's attacks but an ice attack hit Yoshi.

"Yoshi!" Luigi cried. Luigi shot an ice attack at Koume but Kotake blocked the attack. "Shoot, I attack one with the spell that can beat her and the other that can't be affected blocks it." Luigi snapped his finger. "I have a plan. Hey, fire head!" Koume looked down at Luigi. "You know how to spell ugly? U..." He then pointed at her. "You...you...you...you!"

"What? How dare you call me ugly!" Koume said angrily at him.

"Isn't it obvious dear sister?" Kotake laughed proudly. "He's saying I'm more prettier then you."

"We're twins! How can you be prettier?" Koume growled at her sister. "You've gone senile!"

"Who are you calling senile?" Kotake asked offended. "Is that no way to treat your older sister?"

"We're twins! How can you be older?" Koume argued. "You old hag!"

"Fatso!"

"Big butt!"

"Ugly nose!"

"Smelly!"

Luigi shot a Blizzard spell at Koume and she screeched in pain and fell off the cliff.

"Koume!" Kotake exclaimed. She then turned to Luigi "You'll pay for that!"

She flew at Luigi who smirked and shot a fire spell causing her to cry in pain and fall off the cliff screaming. "I'm melting! What a world! What a world!"

"That was easy." Luigi chuckled. He then ran over to Yoshi and bent down to him. "Kid! Kid! Wake up!" Luigi took a cookie out and held it over Yoshi. Yoshi sniffed it and moved his head up and then ate it right out of Luigi's hand. Yoshi rested his head again.

"Yoshi still out cold." Yoshi said. "Maybe if Luigi give Yoshi another cookie, Yoshi get up."

Luigi rolled his eyes with a smile and gave Yoshi another cookie and he got up.

"Yoshi ready and willing!" Yoshi shouted standing up.

"Well come on kid!" Luigi told Yoshi in a rush tone. "Sora and Link need our help!"

"Yoshi to the rescue!" Yoshi cried.

Yoshi ran to the battle and Luigi followed. Ganondorf brought his sword down on Sora and Link and they clashed with him again. Ganondorf pushed down on both them and they were about to fall down when Luigi and Yoshi kicked him aside. Yoshi and Luigi then got ready to fight. Sora and Link joined them.

"Thanks guys!" Sora nodded to them.

"No problem!" Luigi responded.

Ganondorf stood up and laughed. "Is that all you fools got? It's time to show you what real power is!"

Ganondorf charged at our heros. Link took out his light arrow and put it on his bow.

"Zelda said the light arrow can conquer the darkness, so if Ganondorf is that darkness then he should fall." Link said.

Link fired the light arrow at Ganondorf and but Ganondorf grabbed it. Everyone made shocked looks.

"No way!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Fools! What do you take me for? Your pathetic arrow may have worked on my weaker self but it won't work on the real deal." Ganondorf laughed.

"Well, scrap that plan." Sora sighed. Ganondorf fired an energy ball at Link but Sora knocked the attack back at Ganondorf but then he countered sending it back at Sora and then he sent it back. It went on and on. "Not again!"

Link and the others moved their heads back forth watching the fight. Sora began to get tired again.

"Foolish boy, you think that strategy you used before will help you?" Ganondorf smirked.

"You guys can jump in at anytime you know." Sora said singy-songy to his friends.

Sora sent the ball back again and Ganondorf deflected the attack but before it even got half way, Link jumped up and knocked the attack back and it hit Ganondorf, blinding him.

"Try again kid!" Luigi called to Link.

Link fired the light arrow and this time it hit Ganondorf and he floated down to the pillar. He then bent down and was tired.

"Now's our chance!" Link cried. The four jumped onto the pillar and began beating Ganondorf up. Link and Sora slashed, while Luigi fired magic spells, and Yoshi kicked him. Ganondorf bittered his lip and got angry. He screamed which knocked everyone back into the four corners of the room.

Ganondorf breathed very hard and then stood up making a ticked off face. Ganondorf then floated up into the air.

"I will not be beaten by a bunch of children and a plumber who can't tell a joke for his life!" Ganondorf screamed.

"Harsh." Luigi sighed.

Ganondorf stuck his hands up into the and began forming a giant dark energy ball. He then laughed hysterically. "Say farewell!"

"What do we do?" Sora asked nervously. "That's a powerful energy ball!"

"We're doomed!"

Link closed his eyes and he could hear Zelda's voice.

"_Link! Believe in yourself! You have all the power to beat him." _Zelda said. _"Because you're not just the hero of time, or a hero, but you're my hero and I love you." _

A tear streamed down Link's face and it fell on his sword. The sword began glowing and Link bent down charging up his sword.

"Link?" Sora asked in surprise. "What are you..."

"Stand back!" Link cried. "Only the Hero of Time can bring the evil king down and I was destined to defeat Ganondorf!"

"But..."

Luigi put his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Sora, we're already meddling and this is really Link's fight. So, I think we should step back and let Link handle this don't you think?" Luigi asked warmly.

Sora nodded and the trio stood back. The two fighters charged up their attacks causing the whole world to shake from their incredible power. Ruble began to fall through the ceiling.

"Now, boy!" Ganondorf called to Link. "You DIE!" Ganondorf fired 5 yellow balls at Link who spun his body creating a giant energy wave from his sword knocking them all back at Ganondorf. They all hit Ganondorf causing him to scream in pain. Link fired the light arrows again and Ganondorf landed on the pillar. Link jumped into the air and brought his sword down on Ganondorf striking him hard. He screamed again and Sora's group cheers. Ganondorf walked back weakly while holding his chest and breathed very heavy. "H-how c-could I the dark king be beaten by children? I can't believe it!"

Sora jumped onto the pillar and ran at Ganondorf. Sora jumped into the air and kicked Ganondorf in the chest and he fell off the pillar screaming and crashed into the ground. The pillar Sora and Link were standing on began tilting and then began to fall down. Link took out his hookshot.

"Sora! Grab my hand!" Link cried.

Sora grabbed Link's hand and he fired his hookshot at the wall and they flew across just in time as the pillar fell and landed on the Ganondorf fell. Sora and Link looked down from above and made looks like "Ooh that's gotta hurt."

Yoshi and Luigi ran up to Sora and Link. Yoshi jumped into Sora's arms and licked his face while Luigi jumped onto Link's back and rubbed his head.

"Kid, you were amazing." Luigi cheered.

"Sora and Link won!" Yoshi cheered.

Just then, a paper and two crystal came down from the sky. Sora noticed them and grabbed them. Not knowing what the crystals were, he pocketed them for later. But his eyes widened upon reading the paper.

"Guys!" He cried. "You're not going to believe this! It's one of the Ansem Reports!"

Before anyone could respond, Link looked up to see Zelda floating down in her crystal seal. Link ran up to the crystal and broke the crystal with his sword. Zelda was out cold, so Link had to grab her and then set her down.

"Zelda, please wake up." Link said. "It's over! It's finally over!"

Zelda opened her eyes and sat up.

"Link?" She asked weakly. "Is Ganondorf..." Link nodded and Zelda stood up. She then cheered "It's finally over!" She hugged Link who blushes. Sora and his friends smirked at Link while Navi floated around them. She pulled away from Link. "Link, we really did it. Ganondorf was a pitiful man who wanted to control the power of the gods but he didn't count on a boy with a fairy."

"Oh, Link, I'm sorry about not helping you before." Navi apologized.

"Us to." Sora nodded. "We tried to get you away from the darkness but..."

"It's alright." Link chuckled. "I want to thank you three for all your help. Because of you piece is finally restored to Hyrule."

"Yes, you four shall be honored for your brave deeds." Zelda said. "I'm sorry about disguising myself but I needed to avoid contact so Ganondorf couldn't find me. It sort of backfired but in the end it all worked out."

"Yeah, and now let's take care of that keyhole Sora." Luigi said turning to Sora.

"Oh, yeah!" Sora gasped.

Before our heros could move they heard a loud bang from below and Zelda gasped.

"What was that?"

Link looked down and took out his sword. "We're not done yet." Everyone looked at Link saying huh. "He's alive!"

"But how?" Sora exclaimed. "How could he have survived that attack?"

"It's quite possible that the triforce thingy Ganondorf had may have caused something." Luigi predicted. "In theory it could have revived him."

"Of course!" Link cried. "Why didn't I think of it before? He still has the triforce!"

"Then, we have to stop him before he gets his ugly butt back up!" Sora said. "Link, this time I'm coming with you. Luigi, Yoshi, stay here with Zelda. The heartless are still after her."

"Okay." Yoshi nodded.

"Please be careful." Zelda pleaded. "The only way to stop him is to seal him into the Temple of Time. One strike from the Master Sword, play the Song of Time from the Ocarina of Time, and the six sages including myself should seal him."

"It's a mouthful, but it's worth a shot." Sora nodded.

"I'll help you this time Link." Navi said floating around him.

Link smiled and nodded. "Thanks Navi."

Sora and Link jump down into the pit below leaving everyone else worried and hoping for the best. Sora and Link arrived in the same dark room they were in before. They looked around cautiously and left no stone unturned. It finally seemed to be clear when a fire wall appears around Sora and Link. The fire wall was so big that it also rose above Luigi, Yoshi, and Zelda. Luigi got his foot in the fire and used FLUDD to put it out.

"Link!" Zelda called to him. "It's a trap!"

Sora could hear panting and then turned around. The piled ruble that fell on Ganondorf got knocked out of the way and Ganondorf floated up panting really hard. Sora and Link drew their weapons ready to fight. Ganondorf used the triforce of power and screamed. He was in gulfed in light and our heros shielded their eyes. Ganondorf grew bigger, gaining giant claws, sharp teeth, horns on his head, and a beast type look. He flipped to the ground with two giant swords. Ganondorf now just Ganon roared at our heros and swiped his swords around.

"One word for you: unexpected." Sora gulped.

"Yeah." Link nodded in agreement.

Ganon attacked Link but Link put up his sword. The impact was so strong from the attack that the sword went flying out of his hands and landed next to Zelda.

"Only the Master Sword can damage him." Zelda shrieked as the sword landed next to her.

"Now she tell us." Sora sighed rolling his eyes.

Link went through his pockets. "We need the ocarina!" Link searched through his pockets some more but couldn't find it. "Where'd it go? I just had it!"

"Looking for this my pretty?" Called a wicked voice.

Link turned to see Kotake and Koume who both held the ocarina.

"How did you get it from me?" Link asked them in surprise. He then paused. "Never mind, I don't want to know!" He then turned to Sora. "We need to get it back! I need you to deal with Ganondorf while I go after the witch sisters. I can't use any other weapon on him, and the keyblade might be the next best thing."

"Right!"

Link went after the witch sisters while Sora stood ready to fight. Navi flew around him.

"Sora! I'll help too!" Navi said.

"Thanks!"

Ganon swiped at Sora but he jumped up avoiding the attack. He kicked Ganon but it had no effect. Ganon threw Sora aside and he crashed into the ruble. Link chased after the witch sisters trying to get the ocarina back. They shot magic at him but he took out a mirror shield and sent it back at both of them.

"Should we fuse?" Kotake asked her sister.

"No, Kotake." Koume responded. "You know what they say, two heads are better then one."

They both cackled and flew around again. Sora did his best to dodge Ganon's attacks but he knocked Sora aside again. Sora bent down and leaned on his keyblade panting.

"Sora no give up!" Yoshi cried cheering his friend on.

Navi flew around Sora.

"Sora! We can attack his tail." Navi said. "It should weaken him!"

"But he looks like he's on guard." Sora pointed out.

"True, but although Ganondorf may have more power I can tell his intelligence level has went way down." Navi said.

"Then we can distract him long enough to strike him down." Sora said with confidence. "Excellent thinking!"

Sora ran at Ganon ready to strike. Ganon swiped his sword at Sora but he smacked on his dodge roll badge and rolled under his legs. Sora quickly struck the tail and Ganon screamed in pain and fell down. The fire wall disappeared and Zelda turned to Luigi and Yoshi.

"Quickly, bring the Master Sword to Link and then help your friend." Zelda instructed.

"But what about princess?"

"I'll be fine little one." Zelda said petting Yoshi's head. "Just go!"

Luigi grabbed the Master Sword and jumped on Yoshi's back. Yoshi jumped off the cliff and landed on the ground. The firewall returned and Zelda gasped. Luigi ran over to Link.

"Link heads up!" Luigi called to Link.

The witch sisters were ready to attack Link when he turned to see Luigi with the sword. Luigi threw it to him and Link grabbed it and slashed both of them back. Link grabbed the ocarina and smirked at them.

"It's been nice doing business with you ladies." Link chuckled taking the ocarina.

The witch sisters groaned and began arguing with each other weakly.

Sora smiled seeing that Link was alright but Ganon appeared behind him and then grabbed him by the shirt collar and held him up. "Help! Help!"

Yoshi and Luigi attacked Ganon but non of their attacks work. Finally, Link jumped into the air and slashed at Ganon with the master sword. Sora fell off of Ganon and landed on Luigi and Yoshi. Sora got back up and all four charged at Ganon. Ganon attacked Luigi sending him flying but then Sora slashed Ganon's tail again. Ganon tried to attack Sora but Link jumped on top of his head and fired the light arrow straight in his eyes. He screamed in pain and his head jerked sending Link flying. Ganon fell down again but when he tried to get up a strong light was holding him down. Everyone turned to see Zelda using a light beam to hold him down.

"I'm using my last bit of power to hold him back." Zelda explained while straining. "Sora, Link, attack him!"

Sora and Link both nodded and rapidly attacked Ganon with their weapons. They both then stabbed Ganon and he stood up, screaming.

"Link! The song!" Navi called.

Link played the Song of Time and Zelda put her hand up.

"I call on the power of the six sages!" Zelda shouted.

A blue energy ball appeared before Link and seven energy balls appeared above. The balls went into the blue one and a giant white light was created.

"Get down!" Link cried.

Everyone ducked down as the light sucked in Ganon and the witch sisters who screamed. Inside the light, the witch sisters were floating around arguing with each other. Ganondorf has returned to his present form and was floating around as well.

"Curse you!" He said weakly. "Curse you sages! Curse you Zelda! Curse you Link!" He then shouted. "CURSE YOU SORA! The time will come when I am released from thy prison and I shall once again release my reign of terror upon thee. As long as I have the triforce of power, anything is possible." He then heard the witches arguing. "Give it a rest already!"

The two witches shut up and Ganondorf flew off.

"Wait for us!" They cried. "You can't leave us here!"

"Keep away from me!"

The witches chased Ganondorf around the endless white area. Sora's group stood up and looked around.

"Now did we win?" Luigi asked Link.

"Yeah, the sages locked him away in the Temple of Time." Link answered.

"Cool!" Sora cheered. "We did it!" He then turned to where the light was. "Hope you fellas enjoy your new home!" Sora ran up to Link. "Thanks again for your help!"

"No, thank you Sora." Link disagreed. "We make a great team. You proved today that you have what it takes to fight the darkness. I'm glad to have put my trust in you. You're a true friend. You have the heart of a hero and that's something to be proud of."

"Thanks." Sora blushed. Sora put up his hand ready to give a high five to Link but Link looked confused. "It's called a high five. We smack our hands together fast when ever we do something awesome."

"Um, sure." Link said confused.

The two gave each other a high five and everyone cheered. Zelda who was tired looked down and smiled. Unknown to her, a shadow crept up behind her and grabbed her. Zelda screamed and everyone looked up.

"Oh, no!" Sora cried. "We left Zelda unprotected!"

"Hurry!"

Everyone ran over to the door they first took and ran up the stairs. They opened the next door to see nobody there.

"Zelda?" Zelda, where are you?" Link called. Link began searching the room calling her name.

Before Sora could help, he knew what had to be done. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi headed over to the side of the room to where the keyhole.

"Time for keyhole to go bye-bye." Yoshi said.

Sora pointed his keyblade at the keyhole. The tip of his keyblade began glowing and it then fired a little beam at the keyhole. Upon contact, the keyhole disappears and makes a locking sound.

"It's going to take the heartless a pretty long time to find that keyhole now." Sora smirked.

Link got on his hands and knees, slamming his fists into the ground. "NOOOO!"

Sora's group approached Link, but before they could try to make him feel better the castle began to collapse.

"This place going to blow!" Yoshi panicked.

"Link, use the ocarina to get us out of here!" Sora told Link.

"I'm not leaving without her!" Link shouted standing up. 'I can't leave her!"

"She's not in this world anymore." Sora said. "I'll explain everything if you get us out of here!"

Link sighed sadly and began to play a song on the ocarina. However, as he finished nothing happened.

"I don't get it." Luigi said. "How come we're not teleporting?"

"The darkness of this castle is cutting off the ocarina's power." Link responded. "Even if we tried to escape on foot, we wouldn't make it!"

"Now what we do?" Yoshi whimpered. "Yoshi too young to get squashed." Just then the six magic energy balls surrounded our heros and began closing in on them. "What happening?"

Link could here Impa's voice. "Link! It's us! We're going to use our last bit of power to teleport you three out!"

Link nodded and called to Sora's group

"Everyone hang on!" Link instructed. "The sages are helping us out!"

The magic balls got faster until they formed a giant energy stream and closed in on Sora's group. There was a flash and they disappeared just in time as the castle collapsed into the ground. It is now night time and in a giant forest town a white energy ball could be seen. The town had houses made out of wood, a short bridge in the sky, and a small garden in the distance. The ball flashed and Sora's group fell out of it. Sora, Link, and Yoshi landed safely on the ground while Luigi landed in the water. He sat up and took hit hat off and squeezed the water out of it.

"I never get any rest." Luigi complained.

The others stood up and looked around.

"Where are we now?" Sora asked Link.

"We're at my childhood home..." Link responded.

"Kokiri forest." Navi finished. "I suggest we head into Link's house. The children don't like grown-ups here."

"What did we ever do to them?" Luigi asked angrily.

The gang headed to one wooden house which was a tree house. They climbed the ladder and reached the top. They then entered the doorway to his house. His room wasn't very big, but it had pottery, a small bed, a log in the middle, and in the corner was a cow.

"Where'd you get the cow?"

"It was a gift from Lon Lon ranch." Link sighed sadly. Everyone sat down in some chairs and Link sat on his bed. Sora explained to Link that the heartless took Zelda. "So, she's no longer in this world?" Sora nodded sadly. Link then stood up. "Then let's get going!" The trio made confused looks at him. "I mean take me with you. I'll travel to other worlds with you. We'll find Zelda together and..."

"Wait a minute!" Sora interrupted. "Link, you can't come with us."

"W-why not?" Link asked a little hurt. "Is it my ears?"

"No, no it's nothing like that." Luigi said with a chuckle.

"But if Link do, Yoshi, Sora, and Luigi be muddling." Yoshi said.

"It's meddling!" Luigi said correcting Yoshi.

"Meddling, muddling, same difference." Yoshi said back to Luigi.

Luigi rolled his eyes.

"We're really sorry Link." Sora said sadly. "I wish we could but..."

"It's alright." Link smiled warmly. "I know she's out there and I miss her terribly. But I faith in you Sora. I know you'll find her. And once we reunite, I can return what belongs to hers."

"The ocarina right?"'

Link nodded and Navi flew around him.

"What about me?" Navi complained. "What am I chopped liver?"

"No Navi." Link laughed. "We had a deal. Ganondorf is beaten and you can go wherever you want now. It's your dream to be free. But before you do, there's a favor I want to ask you."

"Go ahead." Navi said landing on Link's shoulder. "Shoot."

"It would be great if you could go along with Sora to help him find Zelda." Link said. "Could you please go with him?"

"Hm, I don't know, I'm done taking orders from you...but a favor now that's a different story." Navi giggled. "Of course I will. At first we were together only to stop Ganondorf but in time we became friends and you're the closest friend I've ever had. Thank you for showing me friendship, Link."

"You're a great friend too Navi and I'll always be with you." Link smiled.

He gently hugged Navi and Luigi sniffled at watching the touching moment. He then noticed Sora and Yoshi looking at him.

"What?" He sniffled. "I have something in my eye."

"Yeah, tears." Yoshi giggled imitating Luigi.

Just then Luigi could here a moo and noticed the cow nudging him.

"Hey, keep away from me you big fat hunk of roast beef." Luigi threatened. The cow sprayed milk at poor Luigi and everyone else started laughing. "That's not funny!" Seconds later Luigi started laughing too and everyone was laughing away.

Meanwhile, back at the lair; Team Rocket, Bowser, and Riku were present in the room. They were looking down at the monitor. Giovanni sat back in his seat and sighed.

"And I though you had to be smart to get the job done." Giovanni sighed. "Ganondorf almost had em, if it wasn't for that forest boy wearing tights." He then turned to Riku. "Someone I know should have stuck around and helped out."

"Hey, I did my part!" Riku snapped at Giovanni. "I brought you the princess didn't I? Besides, even if you were there what would you have done? Have the Three Stooges parade in with their dumb motto?"

"Hey, don't make fun of us!" James cried at Riku in his girly tone. "Team Rocket is..."

Jesse hit James over the head shutting him up.

"That's enough!" Bowser growled. "Ganondorf was far beyond our help. I warned him his own hatred would backfire and it did. We can't let that get to us. The things we desire are always blinded by hatred and one blinded by hatred can never find what he or she is looking for."

"Since when did you become such an Eienstein?" Jesse asked Bowser angrily. Bowser got angry and breathed fire on Jesse, James, and Meowth. They all turned to ashes on them. They coughed out smoke and fell down.

Giovanni started laughing. "It's about time someone shut those three up."

"Anyways, before I was rudely interrupted, we all have failed our tasks because of this." Bowser continued. "K.Rool losing the crystal coconut, myself always losing Peach to Mario, Ridly using the power of Mother Brain, Ganondorf gaining all three triforces, and of course our dear Giovanni who can't even capture a little rodent."

"Oh, come on, those dumbbells keep screwing up!" Giovanni said angrily. "I am very intelligent, I come up with business plans and I once funded to clone a Pokemon so I've only begun to capture that Pikachu." He then turned to Riku. "By the way boy, have we got a surprise for you."

"Wh-what you do you mean?" Riku asked suspiciously.

"We had a deal." Bowser said. "It's the tricks of trade my friend, you give us something and we give you something in return. A young girl you have been searching for by name of Kairi."

Riku's eyes widened upon hearing the name. "Kairi?"

"We know where she is. Behold!" The monitor showed an image of Kairi floating around out cold. Riku tried to grab it.

"Kairi!" Riku cried. But his hands went though her.

"Listen, you can get cozy with her when you actually find her." Bowser said rolling his eyes. "Go to her. We have a special vessel prepared for you." Dr. Eggman entered the room on his egg mobile. "Man, don't you get any exercise?"

"Why exercise when you can float around being an evil genius?" He laughed.

"Forget I asked." Bowser groaned.

"Now, listen up, I just finished polishing the Egg Carrier so nothing too wild and this isn't a pleasure cruse so don't expect royal treatment." Eggman told Riku.

"Why are you doing this for me Bowser?" Riku asked. "Is there a catch involved here or something?"

Bowser gasped. "I'm appalled! Silly boy, there is no catch!" He then bent down to Riku and put his hands on his shoulders. "You're like a Koopa kid to me. I just want the best for you. I can't be bad all the time you know."

Riku jumped away from Bowser with force.

"I seriously doubt that." Riku scoffed.

"After all the nice thing I said and done for you this is how you thank me?" Bowser growled. "Don't coming crying to me when the heartless take your heart next! Just remember buddy I kept my end of the bargain!" Riku walked of silently and Eggman followed. Bowser sat down and sighed. "Teenagers. That was the problem with my last seven kids. So self-centered, always me, me, me. I had to lock them up in dungeons." Bowser then paused. "Actually, that's what happened to me when I was his age."

"I'm surrounded by idiots." Giovanni muttered.

"I heard that!" Bowser shouted at Giovanni. "Now you're dead!"

Giovanni screamed and ran away with Bowser chasing him all around the castle.


	15. Sora in Toyland

**Chapter XIV: Sora in Toyland.**

Back at Hyrule, Sora and friends said good-bye to Link and using the empty summon gem, Sora gave Navi a new home. Link also gave Sora the keychain Triforce of Heart which he equipped by taking the Banana Slammer off. The trio headed back into the Hyrule fields and Luigi called Toadsworth to pick them up. On the way, Sora noticed Majora's Mask on the ground. He picked it up.

"How did this get here?"

"Don't know, don't care." Luigi gulped. "You better put that thing down because it may cause something bad to happen or worse..."

"PUT THAT DOWN!" Called an angry voice. Everyone turned to see the Happy Mask Salesman running at them with an angry look. "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO TOUCH THAT MASK AND NOW YOU SHALL FEEL MY WRATH!"

"Run!" Yoshi cried.

Sora dropped the mask and the three of them ran as fast as they could. On the way Sora ran into Yoshi and Luigi and they all fell over. They got back up and noticed the salesman still on their tail. The Toad Express landed on the field and the door opened. Toadsworth walked out and noticed them running from a very ticked off Happy Salesman.

"Oh, dear." Toadsworth said in surprise. "Hurry!"

The trio quickly jumped for the door and pulled themselves up. The three quickly slammed the door and the Toad Express took off. The HMS waved his fist at them.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" He shouted at the Toad Express. "Next time you won't get off that easy."

The Toad Express arrived back in space and the trio sat down in their seats relieved.

"Scary spaghetti." Luigi sighed. "I saw my life flash before my eyes." Sora and Yoshi looked at him funny. "Well, sort of."

"Told ya he was scary." Sora said. "He puts Cid to shame."

"I don't know Master Sora, never underestimate Cid Highwind." Toadsworth chortled. "He gives me nightmares."

"True." Luigi nodded in agreement. "When's the next world coming up?"

"Not for another two hours." Toadsworth said checking his pocket watch.

"So, kid." Luigi said turning to Sora. "You mentioned something about the Ansem Report."

"Yeah, I found it right after we beat, Ganondorf." Sora responded. He went through his pocket and pulled it out. "Take a look!"

Luigi took the paper and then dictated it. "It says that Ansem was the ruler of a world and he says that in every heart there is darkness. He's trying to find out why this is." He then turned to Sora. "I'm not sure what it means. But I think he was more then just a ruler. He probably was a scientist or at least a researcher who looked through books."

"We should hold onto this and show it to Leon later." Sora said. "But where should we put it?"

"I'll clip it onto my journal." Toadsworth offered.

"Toadsworth, very handy." Yoshi giggled.

"Next order of business is those crystals you found." Luigi said to Sora.

Sora pulled out the crystal, but they then floated out of his hands and rose to the top of the room. It fired two little red and blue lasers that hit both Sora and Luigi but it didn't hurt them but it did leave them stumped.

"What happened to Sora and Luigi?" Yoshi asked concerned.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Luigi shrugged. "But I felt like something happened to my fire and ice abilities."

Sora shot a fire spell and noticed it was bigger then before. Luigi used Blizzard spells to put it out only to discover it was stronger.

"I get it!" Luigi said snapping his fingers. "That crystal some how had the power to upgrade our magic spells. Which means we can perform more powerful ones."

"Is that good?" Yoshi asked.

"Of course it's good kid! With this upgrade the heartless won't stand a chance!"

"Then we should keep our eyes opened for these crystals." Toadsworth said. "They could come in handy."

"I also found a torn page from Wiseman's book." Sora added. "I'll hang onto this and give it to him when we stop by Delfino Island again."

"What about Zelda?" Yoshi said jumping onto Sora's lap.

"I don't know pal, but we promised Link and we'll leave no stone unturned until she is found." Sora said petting Yoshi's head. "So let's just relax for right now."

"Okay." Yoshi nodded.

Yoshi rest his head on Sora's lap and curled into a ball. Sora pet him and looked out the window.

"_I felt something weird while we were fighting Ganondorf. I could have sworn I sensed Riku's presents." _Sora thought. _"But, maybe that's just me." _

The group took a nap for the next hour and before they begun another hour of waiting the Toad Express hit something causing an impact and sending everyone flying out of their seats. They all then stood up and looked around.

"What the heck happened?" Sora asked in shock.

"We hit iceberg." Yoshi said.

"Kid, that's the last time I let you watch late night movies with me." Luigi groaned. "We must've hit something!"

"Come, on!" Sora cried. "Let's go find out!"

Everyone rushed over to the windows and looked out. They saw a giant pink box floating through space. Toadsworth gasped upon seeing it.

"If that description Goombario and Master Mario gave me was true then that world must be Shy Guy's Toybox." Toadsworth said looking at the box.

Yoshi clapped his hands. "Ooh, toys! Yoshi love playing with toys!"

"We don't have time for toys kid!" Luigi said angrily to Yoshi. "We have work to do!"

"I take it you know this place." Sora said turning to Toadsworth.

"Goombario told me about how he and Master Mario had to find a Star Spirt by going through this world." Toadsworth explained. "I told you the stories about how the star spirts guarded the Star Rod and how Master Mario stopped Bowser from ruling our world. But the question is, why is it out here?"

Just then, the top of the toy box opened up and a powerful wind bursted out and began pulling the Toad Express in.

"What's happening?" Sora cried. "Is that thing trying to pull us in?"

"Apparently!" Luigi panicked. "And we must be its dinner!"

"Hang on!"

The pilot tried to fly away but it still sucked the ship in. Just then, the door of the plane flew open and began to suck everyone in. Luigi and Toadsworth tried to hold onto the chairs but the force was so strong that it sucked them both out the door.

"Toadsworth!"

"Luigi!" Yoshi exclaimed. The wind then pulled Yoshi in but Sora grabbed his hand. Yoshi had tears streaming down his face. "Sora! Yoshi scared!"

"Don't worry, buddy!" Sora hollered to Yoshi. "I've got you and I won't let go!" Sora lost his grip on Yoshi and he went flying into the Toy Box. "YOSHI!"

"SOOOOORRRRAAAA!" Yoshi cried as he flew into the box.

Sora did the best the could to hold on but then got pulled towards the door. As he was about to fly out the door when he hit his head on the side of it. Sora fainted from the hard hit and everything went blank. Sora opened his eyes but he was different. He was smaller and younger. He wore a white shirt, and red shorts. He sat up and looked around. He was back on Destiny Island. He could hear a young voice.

"Sora!" Called the voice. Sora turned to notice a younger Riku who wore a yellow vest much like his present day self and blue jeans. "Come on, man! You said you had something to show me, and yet I find you snoozing away like you always do."

"I wasn't snoozing." Young Sora lied. "I was working on a tan."

"Likely story." Young Riku chuckled. "So, tell me what happened?"

The two began walking towards the secret place. Young Riku started laughing at what Sora told him.

"I'm not kidding!" Young Sora snapped. "I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"So, you're saying that there's a monster in the secret place." Young Riku chuckled. "Are you sure? You told me this about a thousand times, and you've only claimed that you've heard it."

"Does it matter?" Young Sora said jumping up down. "I swear I saw the monster!"

"I'll go along with your game then." Young Riku sighed. "So, suppose there is a monster in there...could we beat it?"

"Hey, we're best friends." Young Sora responded. "We can even take down a 15 headed dragon. Let's do it!" He then whispered. "Can you hear it, Riku? It's growling at us with its sharp fangs ready to pounce."

"Just don't get in over your head, and keep quite." Young Riku shushed Young Sora. "We don't want to startle it." The two boys bravely entered the secret area. The place looked exactly the same and not much has changed. Young Riku sighed. "I told you there was nothing in here. It was just the wind blowing through."

"Aw, man. I wanted it to be a monster." Young Sora whined. He then turned to noticed the brown door. "Riku! Look! What's that?"

Young Riku made a puzzled look. "I've never seen that before." He then examined it. "What is this? A window or maybe a door. Beats me."

"So, that's the only thing in here, huh?" Young Sora sighed.

"What did you expect? A playroom?" Young Riku said. "This place is totally boring." He then turned back to Sora. "Sora?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"I've been thinking." Young Riku began. "When we grow up, let's ditch this place."

"Huh?" Young Sora asked in surprise.

"We'll get off this island and go on real adventures." Young Riku said excitedly. "So, we don't need to play these kiddie games anymore."

"That's an awesome idea!" Young Sora agreed. "But until we're older what should we do now in a boring place like this?" The two began to walk away when Sora got an idea. "Hey, you know that girl at the mayor's house that just moved here? She..."

Just then a flash of light went through Sora's mind and the next thing he knew he could see darkness. His cheek felt wet as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw when he woke up was Yoshi right next to him licking his cheek.

"Yoshi!" Sora laughed. "Cut it out! It's okay! I'm alive!"

Sora sat up and Yoshi hugged him.

"Yoshi glad Sora alright." Yoshi said softly. "Yoshi worried Sora not going to make it."

"Hey, you could have more faith in me!" Sora said a little upset. He then pulled Yoshi away from him. "I'm just glad you're alright." He looked around to notice the room was very large and colorful. He noticed giant toy blocks, teddy bears, red bouncy balls, and a Jack-in-the-Box. "Well, this is odd." He then looked around some more and looked more faster. "Say, where are Luigi and Toadsworth?"

"Master Sora!" Toadsworth called. Sora and Yoshi turned to notice Toadsworth approaching them. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake." He then stopped to catch his breath. "We were all beginning to worry that you didn't pull through."

"Where's Luigi?"

"Knock it off up there!" Called Luigi's voice. Sora turned to see Luigi looking up at a giant present waving his fist angrily. "If you do that one more time..." Just then a block hit him on the head. "Ouch! I said to stop that!"

"Luigi!" Sora called.

"Sora!" Luigi cried. "Glad to see you're alive and well. You had us worried."

"Thanks, but what the heck are you doing?" Sora responded. "But better yet, where are we?"

Just then another block fell down and Sora jumped out of the way of it.

"Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth fall out of Toad Express and land in Shy Guy's Toybox." Yoshi explained. "And according to Yoshi's forecasting system it going to rain." Just then a block hit Yoshi on the head. He rubbed his head. "Okay, Yoshi make mistake because it going to pour."

Luigi looked back up at the giant present.

"Who is doing that up there?" Luigi asked angrily.

Just then Goombario leaned over the present. "It's only me, guys!"

"I got worried there for a second. It's only Goombario." Luigi said relieved. He began turning back towards his group but then turned back to Goombario with widen eyes. "Goombario!"

"Goombario! Thank the stars you're alright." Toadsworth said happily. Goombario however walked away with a block in his mouth. "Goombario? Where are you going? Young man! When I say something to you, I need you to respond! Goombario!" He then turned to Luigi. "Why isn't he responding?"

"Because he's a mile away from you already."

"Oh. But we still have to go after him." Toadsworth said. "He holds a piece of the Toad Express that we need back."

"Then let's go!" Sora cried.

World Name: Shy Guy's Toybox

Sora's group along with Toadsworth followed Goombario down another pathway. The next room they arrived in had many toy blocks with little platforms sticking out. Sora noticed Goombario jumping on them and heading to a giant toy boat. The four jumped from platform to platform. On the way Sora found some more Pikmin and a few useful items. Aboard the boat four creatures were on the deck walking around. The first creature was a Koopa who had a blue shell, blue shoes, and wore an orange bandana. The second one was the same flying koopa creature that gave Luigi the letter from Mario before at his house. The third was a female Boo with green colored skin and two red bow ties in each side of her head. The fourth creature was another Boo who had tan skin, and a white moustache. The blue shelled Koopa was walking back and forth around the boat.

"Poor Goombario." The Koopa said. "The little guy has been out there for a long time. Maybe, I should go look for him."

"Relax, Kooper." The Flying one said. "Goombario is a big boy, he can take care of himself. He said he was going to find a way to get us out of here."

"What a relief." The Boo sighed waving her fan. "I can't expect to live in such a childish place like this. I Lady Bow deserve to live in a more damp place." She then handed her fan to the Boo next to her. "Bootler, fan me, my arms are tired."

"Yes, my lady." Bootler said waving the fan.

Just then, Goombario hopped onto the boat with the box.

"Goombario!" Kooper cried. "You're back!"

"Are you okay?" The Flying One asked.

"I'm fine Parakarry." Goombario nodded. "But, I've figured out a way to get us out of here."

"Awesome!" Kooper cried. "We can finally get out of this place!"

"It's about time too." Bow said with a sigh. "I just can't bare this heat! Bootler! Faster!"

"Yes, ma'am." Bootler obeyed.

"So, how can we get out of here?" Parakarry asked.

"This block I found can be used as a source of power." Goombario explained. "If we stick it in at a 90 degree ratio underneath this boat, there's a chance we could make it fly." Bow started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Boy, you're a crazy little Goomba." Bow laughed. "Do you obviously expect a little block to get us out of here?"

"Has Goombario ever been wrong before?" Kooper said rolling his eyebrows at Bow.

"Well...er...I...no" Bow sighed.

Kooper crossed his arms. "I rest my case then."

"Goombario, is defiantly right about that." Called a voice. Everyone turned to see Sora's group on the boat.

Bow screamed upon seeing them. "How dare you sneak up on me like that? Only us boos do the scaring around here!"

"Sorry." Yoshi apologized. "Yoshi not know."

"Hey, Luigi!" Parakarry said upon seeing Luigi. "Long time, no see!"

"You too, Parakarry." Luigi called back.

"I take it you two know each other." Sora assumed to Luigi.

"He brings us the mail everyday." Luigi explained. "He even brought me the letter from my brother. And Kooper, Lady Bow, and Goombario I met at the celebration party after my brother beat Bowser with their help."

"It was an honor fighting along side your brother." Kooper smiled. He then made a worried look. "Is it true? Did Bowser really take the Star Rod again?"

"Yeah." Luigi nodded. "He's much more powerful then before, but no worries because this kid right here is going to set things right."

Bow floated around Sora. "And who is this enchanting little boy?"

"My name is Sora."

"Well, any friend of Luigi's is a friend of mine." Parakarry said.

"Goombario, how did you get here?" Toadsworth asked.

"Don't get mad, but I snuck aboard the Toad Express while no one was looking." Goombario responded nervously.

"Why did you do that?" Toadsworth asked in shock.

"Because I wanted to find my friends again and I couldn't wait." Goombario responded. "During the trip I fell out of the plane and landed here."

"We've been searching all over for him, too." Kooper said. "So, I guess the toybox sucked you guys in as well."

"Sure did." Yoshi nodded.

"When our world was destroyed..."

"What?" Luigi cried. "Our world was..."

Kooper nodded and everyone put their heads down and Sora's group soon joins in. They did it to honor all those that have fallen but Sora then tried to cheer everyone up.

"Don't worry everyone." Sora said to his friends. "We'll return the worlds to the way they once were."

"That's very sweat of you darling." Bow said. She then kissed Sora on the cheek. "I knew we could count on such a handsome young man. Right, Bootler?"

"Yes, my lady." Bootler nodded in agreement.

"So, what brings you guys out here?" Luigi asked Kooper.

"We were with Goombario when a storm came and separated us." Kooper explained. "We searched all over for him and for some strange reason, the Shy Guy's Toybox that used to be small, now it became a giant world. And it sucked us in here."

During the conversation Goombario could see a figure in the shadows running away.

"_What was that? _Goombario thought. _"It looks interesting. Better go see what it is." _

Parakarry walked over to a chair and sat down in it.

"We've all had quite an adventure." He sighed. "But we're glad to be together again. Right, Goombario?" No one answered. "Um, Goombario?"

"There he goes!" Bootler cried.

Everyone turned to see Goombario running off into another area.

"What has gotten in to that boy?" Toadsworth asked himself putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, ever since we've been together again, he's been acting really weird." Bow agreed.

"Maybe, he sick." Yoshi assumed.

"It's dangerous out there." Sora said. "We should go after him!"

"That kid is pretty tough, but I doubt he'll stand a chance against the heartless." Luigi said. "Toadsworth, stay here on the boat while Sora, Yoshi, and I go after Goombario."

"Just be careful, Master Luigi." Toadsworth nodded to him.

"We'll stay here and keep watch for anything." Bow said. "I don't want to get my hands dirty today."

Sora's group said good-bye and headed off. The trio followed the path Goombario took and arrived in the next room. This room had a giant train in the middle of it. A mushroom creature was there watching over it. Over by the giant toy blocks they saw Goombario.

"Goombario!" Sora cried. They all ran over to him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I saw something really interesting, so I had to follow it." Goombario responded.

"Come on, let's go back." Luigi said.

"Others worry about Goombario." Yoshi added.

"But I can't." Goombario said stubbornly. "I want to see what it is! Can't you guys understand that?"

"This isn't the time to fool around!" Sora snapped at him. "We can't play games here, not now." Goombario shook his head causing Sora to get angry. "Fine! Be that way!"

Sora began to turn around when all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice.

"What's the matter, Sora?" Called the voice. Sora turned around and gasped upon who he saw. It was non-other then Riku. "I thought you liked games? Or are you too cool to play them since you have the keyblade?"

"Riku?" Sora exclaimed "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Just about to play a game with Goombario." Riku responded.

"Huh? I don't have time to play games with you." Goombario said. "You must have been the thing I was looking for. I'll just be on my way and..."

Riku jumped in front of him. "Not quite. I'm afraid the fun has only begun."

"Listen!" Sora shouted to Riku. "Leave him alone! He didn't do anything to you, and where's Kairi? Have you seen her?"

"Maybe." Riku chuckled. "If you catch us, I'll tell you what I know!" Riku was about to grab Goombario but he jumped back and tried to attack Riku. Riku grabbed his head and laughed. "Pathetic!" Riku then ran off.

"Help!" Goombario cried.

"Goombario!" Yoshi called back. "We coming!"

Before they could move, the heartless appeared out of nowhere. Old heartless returned as well as some new ones called "F-Zero Racers." Little heartless in little cars. Some of the racers tripped our heros but they managed to kick them aside. They finish off the rest of them and began looking around for Goombario.

"Goombario!" Sora called cupping his hands.

"Forget it, Sora." Luigi sighed. "Your so called friend took off with him. Toadsworth is going to have a heart attack!"

"Why Riku want Goombario?"

"I don't know." Sora said sadly. "What has gotten into him?" Sora then made a confident look. "We have to go after them! It's the only way! We'll have him back so fast, that Toadsworth won't even know he's been kidnaped!" He then sighed. "Only problem is we have no clue where they went."

"Kid, no worries." Luigi said cheerfully. "Yoshi here can smell a sent up to 1000 miles. His snout can pick up their sent."

"Uh-uh." Yoshi stubbornly objected. "Yoshi, no do it. It probably dark and scary over there."

"Would you do it for a Yoshi Cookie?" Luigi asked holding up a cookie.

Yoshi thought about it for a second and shook his head. "No!"

"Two?"

"No!"

"Three! Final offer!"

Yoshi smacked his lips together and took the cookies. "Yoshi do! Yoshi do!" Yoshi ate the cookies and he then hugged himself. He jumped into the air and floated slowly back down with his hands on his head. Sora caught him in his arms. "Okay! Let's go!"

The trio began walking when Yoshi picked up something and looks up.

"What is it boy?" Sora asked excitedly. "Is Timmy stuck in the well?"

"They went on Choo-choo train." Yoshi said.

Sora's group headed over to the clerk who was playing a Gameboy Advance.

"Stupid spikes!" The clerk said angrily. "Mega Man should get some special boots for those darn things." He then looked up noticing our heros. "Oh, customers!" The clerk stood up and put his Gameboy down. "Greetings, gentlemen. Looking for a ride? Well, we've got one." He then noticed no train on the tracks. "It was here a second ago."

"Are you telling us that someone took off with the train?" Luigi asked the clerk.

"Exactly!" The clerk panicked. "That's what I get for brining my stupid Gameboy. I need to pay more attention."

"Did a boy with white hair come by here a minute ago?" Sora asked the clerk with hope.

"Well kid, he wasn't paying attention!" Luigi shouted at Sora. "So, what did you expect? Sure?"

"We have a monitor that keeps track of where the train goes." The clerk said. "I'll go take a look." The man looked under his desk and gasped. "That's odd! I can't detect the whereabouts of the train."

"Maybe, Riku run it off track." Yoshi assumed.

"How's that possible?"

"Well, since the population of the toy box has grown, we had to build another area." The clerk said. "The silver area. We're in the early stages of building and we even started the track there."

"So, I'm guessing he ran it off the track then." Sora assumed. "Which way is it?"

"That way!" The clerk said pointing right.

"Come on, guys! We have no time!"

The trio jumped off the platform and followed the train tracks.

"Maybe, I should have warned them that we never got rid of General Guy over there yet." The clerk said to himself. "Nah, they probably wouldn't care. Back to my Mega Man game."

Sora and the gang followed the train tracks until they reached two tracks that separated. Yoshi pointed right and they headed down that way. Two minutes later they arrived at the end of the track and noticed the crashed train.

"This terrible!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"That kid has lost it!" Luigi added.

"We don't have time to stick around and stare." Sora said. "We have to find them!"

The trio headed off into the silver area of Shy Guy's Toybox. While making their way through, the heartless attack. Sora's group easily disposed of them including the F-Zero ones. There were many hard to reach areas that took all three of them to get onto and all different roots. On the way Sora found more Pikmin and another torn page. At some points our heros got lost through the mazes of rooms and at some points they went through a door and came out the other end where there would be no ground. So they fell down (with Luigi falling first). Finally, Yoshi picked up a sent and led them to another room. Meanwhile, Riku had Goombario locked in his arm as they arrived in the next room which had a giant Jack-in-the-Box. Goombario struggled but then remembered something.

"_Why didn't I think of this in the first place?" _Goombario thought with a sigh.

Goombario bit Riku's arm causing him to scream and release Goombario. The little Goomba quickly ran into the next room that was passed the Jack-in-the-Box. Riku groaned.

"Brat."

Just then Bowser appeared behind him.

"What's going on here?" Bowser growled at Riku. "Weren't you just on the Egg Carrier a second go?"

"I was." Riku muttered. "But I had to find Sora again."

"Why do you still care about that runt?" Bowser asked Riku in shock. "Don't you realize that he deserted you for the keyblade and his Mushroom Kingdom buddies? I have been through this with you a hundred times already and yet, it hasn't sucked into that thing you call a brain."

"Least, I have one." Riku muttered.

"What was that?" Bowser shouted at Riku.

"Nothing." Riku responded. "I was just messing with him a little bit. I don't care about him at all."

"Sure, sure." Bowser chortled sarcastically. "Listen buddy, I'm going to give you a word of advise and then hightail it out of here and then you better get your act together and follow. We have to go after your girlfriend sometime next year, so listen up. The darkness in your heart grows and the heartless are looking for a feast. So, if I were you I'd be careful."

"Mind your own business!" Riku snapped at Bowser. "I can take care of myself!" Bowser grumbled his way back into his dark portal. Just as he left, Sora and his friends entered. Riku sighed "Oh, great. Just when I thought things could get any worse."

"Riku!" Sora cried to him. "What happened to Goombario?"

"Your friend got away from me but I'll be going after him." Riku said.

"What are you thinking?" Sora asked angrily. "Why are you doing this? This is totally wrong!"

"Funny." Riku scoffed. "I was about to ask you the same question. Why do you like running around and showing off that keyblade of your's?"

"What?"

"Do you even want save Kairi?" Riku asked pushing Sora's buttons.

Sora restrained himself from attacking Riku as he heard that question. "What the heck's the matter with you? Of course, I want to save Kairi. I should ask you that! You're the one who's been acting weird!"

Before Riku could respond, everyone heard Goombario scream.

"Seem's like your friend is in trouble." Riku said.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Eienstein!" Luigi sighed with sarcasm. "He's in trouble! Come on you three!"

Yoshi and Luigi headed to the next room. The two rivals stared at each other and then nodded. They followed Luigi and Yoshi into the next room. It was a empty room and nobody seemed to be around. Just then, our heros heard stomping sounds. They all turned to see entire army of little creatures wearing masked marching up towards them. In the middle was a giant white tank and tied up on the side was Goombario.

"There he is!" Sora shouted.

"Thank goodness you guys are here!" Goombario cried happily. "Be careful! You're in the presents of General Guy. He's the leader of the Shy Guy army."

"General who?"

All of a sudden another creature wearing a tan General type hat popped out of the top of the tank.

"That's General Guy boy!" The creature said. "How dare you bring this pipsqueak onto our territory! You must be working for the enemy!"

"We don't mean any harm Mr. Guy." Luigi began.

"That's General Guy you maggot!" General Guy snarled at Luigi. "Men, fall into position!" Half of the Shy Guys fell down. "I meant line up you dimwits!" The Shy Guys and the Shy Guys on stilts all stood into lines. General Guy grabbed Goombario and slammed him into the tank.

"Well, looks like we have to fight them." Luigi groaned. "This guy doesn't know how to think."

Sora drew his keyblade ready to fight. Riku walked up next to him with his sword.

"Hey Riku. Do you think you're up for a fight?"

"Hm. You're not going to be able to win this one without me." Riku snickered. "Without me you're nothing!"

"We'll see about that!" Sora cried.

"Attack!"

Luigi and Yoshi attacked the Shy Guy army head on. Yoshi ate the ones on stilts and spat them out at the other ones. Luigi encountered ghost ones who couldn't be damaged by his magic, so he sucked off their masks and then absorbed them in. Sora and Riku slashed through a fleet of the Shy Guys. General Guy fired a bullet bill at the boys but they rolled out of the way. Riku charged at the tank with his sword and stabbed the left side of the tank causing it to spark. General Guy pushed some buttons causing the tank to stand on it's bottom wheels. Riku's mouth widened upon seeing the tank.

"Since when do tanks do that?" Riku gasped in surprise. The tank goes down and was about to hit Riku when Sora dived in and rescued him. "Sora! You saved me!"

"Of course I did you idiot!" Sora replied. "You'd do the same for me!"

"_How could he still care about me?" _Riku thought in shock. _"This must be a trick!" _

"My turn!"

The tank charged at the boys but Sora had his keyblade ready. Sora ran at the tank with his keyblade out. The tank was ready to fire when Sora quicky stuck his keyblade into the hole of the tank. The tank exploded causing it to break down. General Guy slammed his fist onto the controls.

"Shoot!" He said angrily. "That little maggot burger is good. But not good enough!" He pushed a button on the controls causing the tank to transforms into a fighter plane. The plane took off into the air and dived at Sora.

"One word: unexpected!" Sora gulped.

The plane's wing knocked Sora over and he went flying into the toy blocks. The plane flew back into the air and began shooting fireballs at the area. Luigi and Yoshi ran over to help and Luigi sucked the fireballs in. The plane charged at our heros again and both wings knocked Luigi and Yoshi over. The plane was about to take off into the sky again when Riku jumped on it and got in General Guy's way.

"Get off me you, fool!" He cried. "We're going to crash if you keep that up."

"That's the whole point." Riku groaned. "What am I suppose to do? Just let you kill us!"

Riku stabbed one of the wings which caused it to lose balance. "Sora, attack it now!"

"Right!" Sora shouted getting his keyblade ready.

The plane came down to Sora's level and then he slashed the right side of it. It crashed into the ground and was spinning out of control. In the process, it sent Goombario flying and Riku jumped off just in time to catch him.

"Oh, no!" Luigi cried. "He's got the kid!"

The plane crashed into the ground and General Guy was also sent flying from his plane. A group of the Shy Guy soldiers ran over to help him.

"Sir?" One of the soldiers asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm find, you worthless piles of crud!" General Guy shouted angrily at his troops. "We need to regroup and think of a new plan to get those little punks. And when we get back to the base, a thousand push ups."

"Aw!" The soldiers moaned.

The Shy Guys all ran away and General Guy shouted at Sora. "I'll be back! When someone makes a fool out of me, they shall not be allowed to live!"

"Sore, loser!" Yoshi growled.

"Wow! He's one tough cookie!" Sora commented "But with Riku around..."

"Don't mean to burst your bubble kid, but Riku just took off with Goombario." Luigi interrupted.

"Where they go?" Yoshi asked looking around.

"Down that pipe over to the right!" Luigi answered.

"Riku." Sora said softly.

"Well, don't just mope there kid!" Luigi shouted at Sora. "We have to stop Riku!"

"Okay!" Sora nodded.

The trio headed for the pipe and they all jumped down it. To their surprise, they landed right on top of Toadsworth back on the toy boat.

"Master Sora! Master Luigi! Yoshi!" Toadsworth groaned. "Where did you come from?"

"Well, it all started when Yoshi was egg..."

"He means right now, Yoshi." Sora chuckled.

"We just wanted to drop in on you." Luigi laughed. There was dead silence. "Oh, come on! At least I tried this time."

"Okay, I'll admit." Sora sighed. "That was a little funny, but you could do better."

"Ha!" Luigi laughed. "I think my jokes are finally looking up."

"That's good Master Luigi, but I am getting a spinal injury down here." Toadsworth groaned.

"Sorry, Toadsworth." Sora apologized getting off. "You alright?"

"We can't worry about that now, Master Sora!" Toadsworth panicked. "We have a crisis!"

"Goombario!" Called Kooper.

Everyone turned to see Goombario, Parakarry, and the Boos all out on the edge of the boat. Sora's group joined them and they all gasped to see Riku holding an out cold Goombario.

"Let him go!" Parakarry called to Riku. "What has he ever done to you?"

"That's right!" Bow added. She then turned to Bootler. "Bootler, protest for me!"

"You bully!" Bootler said. "Let the poor boy go!"

Riku chuckled. "Would to, loved to, but can't. I have some unfinished business with this mushroom."

"You can take it up with us then." Kooper cried bravely.

"You're not the one I need shell boy." Riku sighed. "I'm amazed. I can sense a special heart coming from this kid. It's so rare for a living creature to be born with this type of heart. He might be able to help someone who has lost their heart."

Sora was in shock upon hearing what Riku said. "A-are you talking about Kairi?"

"Even if I am, does it matter?" Riku shrugged. "You don't care about her!"

"I do." Sora said very softly. "Riku."

Riku ran off with Goombario and Parakarry flew after him. Riku smacked Parakarry aside and he crashed into Kooper.

"Are you guys alright?" Luigi asked in shock.

"Yeah." Parakarry groaned standing up. "That guy packs a wallop."

"What we do?" Yoshi asked.

"We need to go after them!" Toadsworth cried. "I won't let Goombario be killed by that madman!"

"Problem." Sora said. "I can't jump that high."

Parakarry flew over to his mailbag and pulled out a badge. "You can use this, Sora." He threw the badge to Sora who caught it.

"What is it?"

"A High Jump badge." Parakarry said. "When you equip this, you'll jump way higher then you did before."

"Gee, thanks." Sora smiled.

"We'll stay here again." Bow said. "I would do it myself, but I don't want to get dirt on me."

"Boy, she is some help, huh?" Luigi sighed.

"And I shall come this time." Toadsworth announced. "I need to help!"

"Just be careful, Toadsworth." Kooper said with caution.

"No worries, Kooper." Toadsworth chortled. "I used to be a powerhouse. But when you get old, you lose those thing."

Luigi rolled his eyes and headed off. Sora followed and then Toadsworth jumped on Yoshi's back and followed as well. The new badge impressed Sora as he jumped onto the area Riku took off. Luigi was a natural at jumping, so it was no problem. Yoshi used his strong legs to gain some extra jumping height to keep up. They arrived in the next room where more heartless attacked. Sora and Luigi attacked with everything they've got but there were too many. So, they ran right for the top of the room where another pipe appeared and sucked them in. They arrived in a smaller version of General Guy's room where they saw Riku looking down at a fainted Goombario.

"Riku!" Sora called out to him. "Let Goombario go!"

"I can't!" Riku said sadly. "His heart may hold the key to rescuing Kairi's heart. He's already lost one to the heartless." Riku then turned to Sora. "Sora! Let's put our differences aside and join forces to save her."

"What?"

"If you want to save Kairi just as bad as I do, then you'd team up with me." Riku offered. "Come, on! It's the only way!"

"Sorry, Riku." Sora rejected readying his keyblade.

"What?" Riku said with a surprised look. "You'd rather fight me? Over a Goomba who doesn't have a heart?"

"Listen Riku!" Sora began. "Heart or no heart, at least he has a conscience."

"Dude, you have got to lay off the Disney movies." Riku said raising his eyebrow.

"I'm serious!" Sora snapped. "You can try and listen, but you'll never hear it. However, I can hear it! And it's telling me what you're doing is wrong. You're hurting these innocent people, just to get Kairi back. You can't sacrifice other people just to get what you want."

"If that's the way you want to play, then fine!" Riku said angrily. He then drew his sword. "You've given me no choice."

Meanwhile, Toadsworth ran over to Goombario and bent down to him.

"Goombario! Please wake up!"

Goombario weakly looked up at Toadsworth. "I'm sorry, Toadsworth. I'm not going to make it. I've been acting strange because I missed my family when I had to move away and even now. I'll be in a better place soon"

"Please!" Toadsworth said beginning to cry. "I don't want to lose you. You were such a good student." Toadsworth cried and a tear fell onto Goombario. He began glowing and then he opened his eyes fully and sat up. "Goombario?"

Goombario looked at himself. "Well, my physical status appears to be normal. I guess, I'm going to be okay after all."

Toadsworth picked him up and jumped for joy. Sora's group smiled upon seeing them both happy. Riku on the other hand was disappointed. All of a sudden, everyone could hear marching. They turned to see General Guy and his troops marching in. Riku took the opportunity to leave through a dark portal.

"Great." Luigi moaned. "And I thought I could relax."

"Didn't I tell you?" General Guy chortled. "I never let the enemy get away. So, I'm back to destroy you little punks with my entire army, while I deal with you in my new giant robot." He jumped onto a cockpit and sat in it. The robot had giant arms and legs. It had missiles on its arms and gun boxes on the shoulders.

"Yoshi have bad feeling in gut." Yoshi gulped.

"No kidding." Luigi said.

"Riku!" Sora cried.

"Kid, let's take care of these guys first!" Luigi shouted to Sora.

Deciding not to worry about Riku now, Sora got ready to fight. Goombario and Toadsworth both ran out of the room leaving the trio to fight.

"Attack!"

Sora and his friends charged at the Shy Guy army with full power. But before they could attack, the robot tripped on a giant crayon and fell right on the entire army.

"Ooh." Yoshi groaned in disgust. "That going to leave big boo-boo."

"My army!" General Guy cried. "Curse this piece of equipment! I'll have to do it on my own!"

The robot got back up and fired it's hands at the trio. It punched Luigi and Sora back into a wall. They both jump to their feet and rejoin Yoshi who was dodging some dodge balls, which General Guy fired. Sora deflected one of them right back and it hit the robot causing it to fall. Surprisingly, the robot jumped back up onto it's feet and sent a roundhouse kick, knocking everyone into a pile of teddy bears. They got up and charged at the robot again. It fired its fists again but this time Sora was ready. He jumped over the attack and rode on it. As the arm flew back Sora jumped onto the cockpit of the ship and stabbed the controls.

"Take this!" Sora shouted.

"Get off!" General Guy yelled.

The General pushed a button causing an electric shock on Sora. He flew back and hit the ground. He jumped back up and slashed at the leg causing it to fall. The robot hopped around on one leg and sent a mighty kick at the trio. They fell back again.

"We can we beat this thing!" Sora shouted in anger standing up. "I won't let him get in the way!" Sora screamed as he charged at the robot.

"What's eating him?" Luigi asked in surprise.

Sora was still angry with what happened with Riku. He began slashing everywhere at the robot and he caused overloads to it.

"My robot!" General Guy cried. "It's overloading! But a general must remain strong!" Another part of the robot began to exploded. "Okay, I think I've been beaten! Time to scream like a sissy and run!" He screamed like a girl and ran out of the robot as it fell down and exploded.

Sora panted as he saw the explosions. Yoshi patted Sora on the back.

"Take deep breath, Sora." Yoshi said softly. "It over now. Sora won."

"Kid, I know you're upset about your friend but we can't worry about that right now." Luigi said warmly. Just then, the whole toybox began shaking. "This place is going to blow! Run!"

Luigi and Yoshi ran for it while Sora looked around the room calling for Riku.

"Riku! Riku, where are you?" Sora called.

"Come on kid!" Luigi called to Sora.

Sora sighed and then nodded to Luigi. The trio quicky ran out of the room and arrived back into the main room with the boat. Toadsworth waved the group over to the Toad Express and they escaped just in time. The toybox exploded and toys went flying all over the place. Pounding the ground and piled up all over the place. The clerk at the train station looked up to notice the mess.

"Not again." He sighed. He then stood up. "Well, better get the broom."

The man walked off to get a broom. Back aboard the Egg Carrier, Riku finally found Kairi but was not too happy to see her. Due to the fact that she was lifeless and pale as a ghost. Riku sighed very sadly and Bowser looked over him and put his big hand on his shoulder.

"So, it's true." Riku said sadly. "She's a lifeless puppet now, right?"

"Afraid so kid." Bowser said. "Taken by the heartless, no doubt.

"This is ridiculous." Eggman grumbled.

"What was that?" Bowser asked Eggman suspiciously

Eggman chuckled nervously. "I said...who wants pancakes?"

"I'd love some." Bowser said excitedly. "But after, I have work to do." Eggman sighed with relief as Bowser turned back to Riku. "Sorry, but I wasn't expecting this to happen to her."

"I'll do anything to get her back!" Riku said with confidence. "Please! Isn't there anything we could do?"

"Well..." Bowser began. "There is one way."

"How?"

"There are seven babes with the most purest heart." Bowser explained. "As the proper folks would call them; the Princesses of Heart. When they are gathered together, a door will open to the heart of all worlds."

"Heart of all worlds?" Riku asked in confusion.

"What is this? An echo in here? Of course the heart of all worlds!" Bowser growled. "Untold wisdom rests within there. I'm sure there will lie something you could use to find Kairi's heart. I swear it!"

"Then, I'll find the princesses." Riku offered. "Anything to save Kairi."

"Good!" Bowser nodded. "And I shall now give you a really cool gift." Bowser took out his star rod and tapped it on Riku. "Behold! The power to control the heartless!"

A glowing green energy surrounded Riku as he felt a great power rushing through his veins. As the power dimmed down, he turned to Kairi and talked in a really low voice.

"Soon, Kairi." He whispered. "Soon."

Riku walked away as Bowser looked on with an evil grin.

"Now for those pancakes." Bowser said rubbing his hands together. "Eggman! I want my pancakes!"

Eggman laughed nervously. "Well...you...see...uh..."

"I said now!" Bowser screamed. He then chased Eggman around the room demanding pancakes.


	16. An Inferno Fight at the Charizard Cup

**Chapter XV: An Inferno Fight at the Charizard Cup**

The Toad Express barley made it out of the mess at the toybox. Upon exiting, our heros arrived back at Isle Delfino.

"What we doing back here?" Yoshi asked.

"I used the warp feature to bring us back here." Toadsworth responded. "The Toad Express would have been damaged if I didn't." Toadsworth then realized something. "Oh, dear! We were just an hour away from the next world."

"Yeah." Luigi groaned rolling his eyes. "Ya, think? Because of you, I have to wait another two hours before we arrive at the next world."

"Master Luigi!" Toadsworth snapped. "Goombario's life was in danger! If we didn't act, something terrible may have happened to him! You just need to have some patients!"

"Speaking of Goombario" Luigi began. "I hope he and the others are alright."

"Yoshi sure they fine." Yoshi said. "Maybe, they escape. Right, Sora?"

Sora was very glum. He looked out his window in silence. For a moment, nobody said a word until Sora finally spoke up.

"Riku..." He said. "What happened? You were my friend. How could you say these things to me?" Sora put his head down and sniffled. Yoshi jumped into his arms and hugged him.

"It okay." Yoshi said softly.

"Why is he acting so weird?" Toadsworth asked Luigi.

Luigi looked up at Sora and made a sad look. "Because he lost a friend back there." Luigi walked over to Sora and pat his shoulder. "Listen, Sora. I know you're sad about Riku, but we can't let that stop us. Maybe, the heartless are playing tricks on him."

"Y-you think so?" Sora sniffled looking up at Luigi.

"Of course!" Luigi said with a smile. "Kid, we don't know enough about the heartless, so it's quite possible. You just need to keep a positive attitude and build a bridge to get over your problem."

"Man, that sounded like an after school special." Sora chuckled. "What do you watch on TV?"

"Um...er...nothing." Luigi said nervously. "None of your business!"

"Barney." Yoshi giggled.

"I do not!" Luigi said angrily at Yoshi.

"Just joking." Sora laughed. He then put Yoshi down. "I'm not done yet! I'll find away to save you Riku. Even if it takes me forever!"

"That spirt!" Yoshi cheered.

"Besides, this adventure has been so much fun." Sora said excitedly. "I've never experienced so much before. Meeting new people, visiting new places, and Luigi falling and running into things. Its been great!"

"What do I have to do with anything?"

"I've never met such a klutzy person." Sora responded. He then turned to Yoshi. "And I've never seen a real dinosaur before." Yoshi blushed at the comment. "And a talking Mushroom? Unreal!"

"Well, thank you Master Sora." Toadsworth chortled. "There are many different things to see out there."

"I'm going to see them all!" Sora cheered. "And when I find Riku and Kairi, we'll go together!" Sora then was calm again. "Why are we back here anyways?"

"You did find some torn pages and another summon gem, did you not?" Toadsworth asked Sora.

"Yeah, I did." Sora responded. "Good idea. We should see Wiseman and Mr. Mumbo."

"Cid was kind enough to instal a water landing feature for the Toad Express." Toadsworth added. "So, we shall land right on the water, next to his house.

"That's cool!" Luigi said impressed

"Prepare for landing everyone!"

The Toad Express descended towards Pinna Park. As it landed, the pilot hit a switch which made a float appear under the plane. It slowly landed in the water and the plane pulled up to the beach. Sora's group exited the plane by jumping into the soft sand. They headed over to Wiseman's house and Sora knocked on the door. Wiseman's voice could be heard.

"Coming! Coming!" He said. He opened the door and chortled upon seeing the trio. "Sora! Well, what a surprise!"

"Knowing you, you probably already knew we were coming." Luigi grumbled out loud.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Wiseman said.

"How did you hear me?" Luigi said in shock.

"Luigi." Sora groaned. "You said that out loud."

"Oh." Luigi laughed sheepishly. "Silly me."

"Come in, gentlemen." Wiseman said walking into his house.

Inside, Mumbo was asleep on his skeleton chair snoring. It was so loud that Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi had to cover their ears.

"Holy, ravioli!" Luigi cried. "How can he snore like that? Not even my Nona could snore that loud!"

"It's so hard to sleep at night!" Wiseman sighed. "I tell him to get some medicine, but he doesn't listen. Wake up!"

Mumbo mumbled and then woke up. "Why did Wiseman wake Mumbo up? Mumbo just dream about kicking some ugly witch butt!"

"We have visitors." Wiseman responded.

"Ah, boy, dinosaur, and plumber!" Mumbo cried. "Have you come to see Mumbo? World's greatest Witch Doctor?"

"More like the world's greatest snorer!" Wiseman scoffed

"What? Mumbo not snorer!" Mumbo said offended. "Wiseman world's smelliest man!"

"What? I don't smell bad!" Wiseman argued.

Just then, Wiseman noticed our heros covering their noises.

"Smelly, sausages!" Luigi said in disgust. "When was the last time you bathe?"

"I haven't in the last two weeks." Wiseman said with a nervously chuckle. "I was too busy working on my next robot."

"That's just nasty!" Sora said in disgust.

"Okay, so I guess we both have some issues." Wiseman chortled walking up to the Witch Doctor. "Truce?"

"Truce." Mumbo said hugging Wiseman. He then whispered. "Take bath."

"Get some help." Wiseman also whispered. He then turned to notice Sora and the crew waiting impatiently. "Oh, sorry. I forgot about you three for a second there. I need to go put some deodorant on. Mumbo can help you with your summons." Wiseman walked into the next room leaving a confused Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi.

Sora rubbed his head. "Man, I never knew being a roommate would be so hard."

"It not so bad, boy." Mumbo laughed. "Mumbo and Wiseman chums. But Mumbo rather have him as roommate, then dumb bird from world. Mumbo now release new summon you brought. Mumbo call this one; 8-bit of Flatness."

Sora handed the new summon gem to Mumbo Jumbo. He chanted something strange and tapped the summon gem with his staff. The gem then glowed and Sora picked it up.

"I guess it worked." Sora assumed. "We need to test it though."

"How can we?" Luigi asked in confusion. "The heartless aren't here."

"Har! Har! Har!" Mumbo laughed. "You three come here to learn magic, right? Train with Wiseman!"

"Okay." Sora nodded. "Besides, I think my magic is better then Luigi's!"

"What?" Luigi exclaimed. "No way! Not in a million years!"

"Wanna prove it?" Sora said challenging Luigi.

"You're on!"

Wiseman returned into the room. "Are you boys ready to practice?"

"Yoshi ready!" Yoshi said.

Wiseman brought Sora's group out back where there were wooden targets set up. Sora and Luigi shot many magic spells at their targets. Sora fired his updated ice and fire spells, while Luigi used gravity to bring down wooden targets in the air. Finally, Sora decided to test his new summon. Luigi and Yoshi both were absorbed by the gem and in replace of them was a little man. The man had black skin and a skinny body. He had a round head and big noise. But the weirdest thing about him was the fact that he was flat.

"Mumbo? Are you playing a joke on me by any chance?" Sora asked Mumbo in shock.

"No, joke." Mumbo laughed. "He have strongest heart from his world!"

"This is Mr. Game and Watch." Wiseman told Sora. "I have the power to identify peoples' names. A very odd fellow, but can be quite powerful."

"Um, hi." Sora said with a crooked smile to Mr. Game and Watch. Mr. Game and Watch began beeping at Sora, but he couldn't understand a word he was saying. "Whoa! This guy defiantly doesn't speak English."

"He said 'please to meet you.'" Mumbo said.

"Y-you understand him?"

"Yes, Mumbo not sure why." Mumbo said in surprise. "He have special power."

"Really?" Sora said raising his eyebrow. "Let's see it." Mr. G&W took out a frying pan and began shooting sausages. Sora was not impressed. "Right. Is that all?" Mr. G&W took out a hammer and hit a log at it. What surprised Sora was that the log went so fast and far from the blow. "In the words of Luigi; Leapin Lasagna! Now, that is a summon." He shook Mr. G&W's hand. "Welcome to the team Mr. Game & Watch." Mr. Game and Watch made a happy beeping sound. "What did he say?"

"Um, you don't want to know." Mumbo said. "But he did extend his gratitude to you."

"Okay, I guess." Sora said unease. Mr Game & Watch disappeared back into his gem. Luigi and Yoshi popped out. "Hey guys! Welcome back!"

"Hey there, kid." Luigi said greeting back. "Glad to be back. It was getting boring in there. So who is the new summon?"

"Well, let's just say he's 8-bit happy about joining us." Sora joked.

Everyone then started laughing at the joke.

"That's not fair!" Luigi said annoyed. "The kid cracks a pun and you all start laughing! I give you gold, and I hear dead silence! I'm out of here!" Luigi walked back to Wiseman's house.

"Luigi, wait up!" Sora cried chasing after Luigi."You're just not gifted like I am!"

"Wait for Yoshi!" Yoshi said following.

Back at Wiseman' house, Wiseman gave the trio some tea and dumplings to eat.

"This is good." Sora said eating away.

"I hate to admit it, but this is almost as good as pasta." Luigi said. "But still, nothing can beat pasta."

"So, I heard you found some of the torn pages." Wiseman said. "May I see them?" Sora handed the two pages to Wiseman. He observed them for a second. "These pages are blank. But, I heard once that a child of the heart can unlock the story."

"What that mean?" Yoshi wondered.

"I'm not too sure." Wiseman shrugged. "I've done research on this, but I could never find the answer. Perhaps, if we gathered all the missing pages together something is bound to happen. That's my theory."

"It's worth a shot." Sora said standing up. "We'll keep our eyes out. " He then turned to his party. "You two ready?"

"I am." Luigi sighed rubbing his stomach. "It's so nice to eat something else besides pasta for once."

"That's all you eat, Luigi?" Sora exclaimed. "Man! I'm even more surprised you're so thin after eating all that pasta!"

"Trust me." Luigi chuckled. "I'm still trying to figure that out too."

"But Yoshi not full." Yoshi whined. "Yoshi hungry!"

"And how can you eat so much eat?" Sora continued. "Man, I've met some interesting characters on my journey, but you guys take the cake."

"Cake?" Yoshi said excitedly. "Where?"

"Well, thanks kid." Luigi blushed. He then made a suspicious look. "Wait a minute. In a good way or a bad way?"

Sora looked at Luigi with his famous goofy smile. "I'll let you decided that, Luigi." He then turned to Wiseman. "Thanks for the help, we'll come back later." He then walked out of the room. "Come on, guys!"

Yoshi ran out the door and Luigi followed with a worried look.

"Kid! I want to know if you mean I take the cake in a good way or bad way!" Luigi cried. "Sora! Sora! Stop leaving me hanging!"

The trio arrived back at the Toad Express and boarded it. Upon entering, Toadsworth greeted them with a mailed letter.

"Master Sora." Toadsworth said. "You got a letter from Professor Oak."

"He sent us a letter?" Sora asked. "I thought he was suppose to phone us?"

"The phone lines went down their he said." Toadsworth said.

"That's what I hate." Sora sighed with disappointment. "Why do people always have to open personal letters that don't belong to them?"

"I'm sorry, Master Sora." Toadsworth apologized. "I only took a peek."

"Then why is the letter all crumbled up?" Luigi asked Toadsworth suspiciously.

"Oh...well...erm...well you see." Toadsworth said clearing his throat nervously.

"It's alright." Sora said warmly taking the letter. He then read it. "Dear, Sora...stop. Another round of the Human vs. Pokemon competition is beginning...stop. You can come anytime...stop."

"Kid, stop reading the stops." Luigi yelled annoyed.

Sora nodded and continued reading it. "We hope you'll get here soon. Sincerely yours, Professor Oak. P.S. This Message will self-destruct." Sora paused and then looked at the last part with confusion. "Huh?"

"He's probably pulling a prank." Luigi said rolling his eyes. "Here, I'll throw this in the garbage."

Luigi took the letter and walked to a garbage. Sora turned to Toadsworth.

"Let's go fight for a little while." Sora said. "It would do us good."

"Okay, I'll tell the pilot to..."

Everyone then heard a explosion. They turned to see Luigi covered in ashes.

"Whoa!" Yoshi exclaimed "Letter really did exploded."

"Thanks for pointing that out, kid." Luigi groaned. Luigi fell down and was smoking.

"Luigi, never gets any rest, huh? Sora chuckled.

The Toad Express flew back to Pokemon Coliseum. During the time, Sora and Yoshi finally got Luigi back on his feet and brushed the ashes off. When they landed Sora's group said good-bye and left. The trio arrived at Pokemon Coliseum a few minutes later where Professor Oak greeted them.

"Sora! Glad you made it!" Oak said greeting the trio. "I've been expecting you."

"Where's Ash?" Yoshi wondered.

"There's a new Pokemon competition coming up next year and Ash went to look into it." Oak said. "He'll be back later. By the way, I heard that in the new cup a friend of yours is entering."

"A friend of his?" Luigi gasped.

"Riku?" Sora asked Oak.

"The man that entered said he knows you." Oak said shaking his head. "His name was Leon."

"Leon!" The trio exclaimed.

"And a young girl named Yuffie." Oak added.

"So, both Leon and Yuffie are entering the tournament." Luigi gasped.

Sora cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Perfect. I have score to settle with Leon. Before I went totally out cold when I first faced him, I heard that he went easy on me. But this time, I'll show him what I can really do!"

"You sound a lot better now." Luigi said to Sora happily.

"I am." Sora nodded. "Come on guys! Let's go kick some heartless tail!"

"The match is going to start, so get ready boys." Oak said.

The trio entered the ring where the crowd roared with cheers and yells. They saw the referee holding up his two flags.

"May the opponents enter the ring." He announced. A group of heartless entered the ring and Sora's group got ready. "Let the match begin!"

The heartless charged at our heros with full power but Sora's group easily took them down with no problems. After winning, they went onto the next 8 matches fighting old friends such as Gerudo Thieves, Fat Bandits, F-Zero Racers, Space Pirates, etc. The group used their weapons and spells to defeat the heartless of each round. Yoshi of course ate the heartless and spat them at others. He also used some of them as eggs to fire at others. Sora used some new badge abilities such as Slide Dash, Vortex, and Blitz. Luigi used magic spells to destroy the heartless and used cure spells to restore his allies and himself. They finally made it through the next round and entered the ring to see Leon and Yuffie waiting for them.

"Hey, strangers." Luigi chuckled to them.

"What a surprise." Leon said with a smile.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sora asked approaching them.

"Is it a crime for us to have fun?" Yuffie said putting her hands on her hips. "We needed to stretch our legs out, so we decided to come here."

"Is that true Leon?" Yoshi asked.

"Actually, Yuffie forced me to come here, but when I heard you were entering I had to come." Leon explained. "You see, I want to find out how much you've improved."

"Oh, yeah!" Sora cheered. "I heard you that went easy on me last time."

"Yes, I was barley warming up." Leon nodded.

"Ah, don't listen to Leon." Yuffie laughed. "He was sweating the whole time."

"Be quite, Yuffie!" Leon snapped. He then noticed Sora's group snickering. "Very funny! So, are you ready for our rematch?"

"Yoshi bet!"

"Guys, you deal with Yuffie while I deal with Leon." Sora instruction. The two nodded back and they stood ready to fight.

"Let the match begin!" The referee announced.

Sora charged at Leon while Luigi and Yoshi took on Yuffie. She threw ninja stars at the duo. They quickly avoided the attack, but one is able to take a tiny tear out of Luigi's shirt.

"Shocking, spaghetti!" Luigi cried. "That thing is sharp!"

"Ha! And I'm only getting started!" Yuffie laughed proudly. "I believe now would be the time to start running."

"Yoshi, no scared." Yoshi cried bravely.

"I am." Luigi gulped. "I'm making like a drummer and beating it."

Yuffie threw another star at Yoshi, but he ate the star. Yuffie's mouth dropped

"No way!" Yuffie said in shock. "How can you eat that?"

"That kid has a trash can stomach." Luigi responded. Luigi took off the P-3000 and ran at Yuffie. Luigi threw a punch but she did a back flip and kicked him down. Luigi got back up and sent a kick at Yuffie, but she side stepped it and tripped him. "She's good."

Meanwhile, Leon swiped at Sora but he rolled out of the way and slashed at Leon's side. Leon hit the ground, but he hit his hand and pushed back up. Leon shot a fire spell but Sora countered with his own fire spell. Sora clashed with Leon and they both struggled. Leon pushed back and tripped Sora. While he was falling, Leon kicked Sora in the side and he slid across the floor but jumped back up and charged again. The two got into a violent sword fight, clashing and dodging their attacks. Leon slashed at Sora who jumped over the attack and he tried to kick Leon, but he did a hand stand dodging the attack. Sora slashed rapidly at Leon which caused pain and he went flying and crashed into a wall. Leon weakly got back up and panted.

"Well, Sora." Leon panted. "You've improved! But play time is now over!"

"Look at you, Leon." Sora smirked. "You're already worn out and I doubt you can continue."

"Think again!" Leon said putting his sword up. "Power!" Leon's Gunblade began glowing and grew to over 10 feet.

Sora gulped very nervously. "I think it's time to run!"

Sora ran jumping over one of Leon's sword swipes. Luigi kept dodging Yuffie's punches and kicks but still couldn't lay a finger on her.

"You're good." Luigi said impressed. "I'm glad we had a chance to spar."

"Yeah, you even showed me a few good moves." Yuffie nodded in agreement. "But I'm dominating you so far and I can't let you win."

"We'll see." Luigi smirked. "I'd look behind if I were you."

"Huh?" Yuffie turned around to see Yoshi running at her. He bent down and rammed his head into her stomach. She flew into a wall and fell down. She got to her feet and groaned. "Okay, that was lucky. But I won't let the same mistake happen again." Yuffie charged again at Luigi, but Yoshi tripped her with his tail and Luigi uppercut her. She threw more stars at Luigi who quickly got the P-3000 back on and sucked up the stars. "Darn it! Why do you use that corny vacuum?"

"Hey! This vacuum saved my life a whole bunch of times!" Luigi said angrily.

Luigi shot gravity at Yuffie causing her to fall down. She got very weak giving both Luigi and Yoshi the chance to strike. They both gave a hard kick at her, sending her flying across the arena. The audience went ooh upon seeing that. She crashed into a wall and fell down. She weakly got back up only to see Luigi and Yoshi surrounding her.

"Yoshi got you." Yoshi said putting his fists up.

Yuffie fell down and hit the ground. "Give me a second to get back onto my feet."

Luigi rolled his eyes. "Kid, forget about it. There's always next year. Yoshi! Sora's going to need some help."

Yoshi nodded and they both ran at Leon. Sora dodged some of Leon's strikes but the sword was so big, that he got knocked aside by one of the attacks. Sora kicked his feet up and charged at Leon.

"Pathetic." Leon scoffed. "You haven't changed one bit." Leon jumped into the air and was about to land his sword when Sora clashed with it. "No way! How could you block that? This sword has the power to break anything in half."

"Guess I'm the first." Sora said struggling with the attack.

Sora pushed the Gunblade back up and Sora quickly ran and kicked Leon in the gut. He want crashing into a wall. He quickly got up and was ready to attack again when Yoshi knocked the Gunblade out of his hand with an egg. The trio got together and charged at Leon. Leon rolled out of the way of their attack and slid across the floor, grabbing his Gunblade. He shot another fire spell but Luigi used FLUDD to counter the fire attack. Sora and Leon clashed again and sparks started flying from their attacks. Leon struck at Sora but Sora dodged rolled it and kicked Leon in the side. Leon tried to attack again but when he brought his Gunblade down Sora countered and the Gunblade stopped glowing and returned to normal. Leon made a nervous look as the three heros charged at him. Leon attacked again and Yoshi head butted in the stomach knocking the Gunblade right out of his hand. Luigi shot an ice spell making Leon shiver and Sora used a new magic spell called stop to freeze Leon in his tracks. He then struck Leon with a hard slash sending him crashing into the wall where Yuffie was.

"No way!" Leon cried falling down. "I can't lose!" Leon weakly tried to get back up but was so tired that he collapsed.

The referee held up a red flag and pointed at Sora's group. "Team Leon is unable to battle! Team Sora is the victor!"

The crowd roared into cheers and Sora's group celebrated.

"We won!" Luigi cheered.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi said also cheering.

Sora walked over to Leon and bent down to him. Leon weakly looked up at Sora extending his hand to him. Leon took the hand and Sora helped him up. Yuffie also was cured by Luigi and she joined.

"You truly are a great fighter." Leon smirked. "You've impressed me!"

"The funny thing was, I was only warming up." Sora chuckled rubbing the back of his head.

"So you were." Leon replied with a smile. "Now, we're even."

Sora chuckled and shook Leon's hand.

Oak walked into the arena congratulating Sora's group. "Well done, boys! You are the winners! The administrators have an award waiting for you. And as for you two, I have a surprise. There is a way for you to get back into the games."

"How?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"We are holding a special raffle and if you draw the right card you could return." Oak explained.

"Which means we have a second chance at you three!" Yuffie said excitedly.

"You're on your own then because I'm going to ask Cloud to be my partner." Leon said with a smirk. "Sora! Good luck! Maybe we'll face each other again."

"I'd look forward to it." Sora nodded.

Leon left the arena with a panicking Yuffie following. "You can't do this to me, Squall Lionheart! You're nothing without me! Don't do this! That's not fair! Squall, come back here!"

Everyone could then hear Leon yelling. "YUFFIE! IT"S LEON!"

Sora's group made shocked looks upon hearing Leon screaming.

"I thought big guys like him were the strong silent type." Luigi said confused.

"Don't stereotype, Luigi." Sora said shaking his head. "I'm sure Leon has screamed real loud once in a while. Let's go claim our prize."

Sora's group headed out to the main hall where Oak was waiting for them.

"Excellent job, Sora." Oak said shaking Sora's hand. "You've been doing so well in the tournament. I'm so pleased with the progress you have been making. I feel sorry now for not letting you in sooner."

"It okay." Yoshi nodded with a smile.

"So, here is your reward." Oak said proudly handing Sora a badge.

"What kind of badge is this?" Sora asked looking at the badge.

"Wow!" Luigi exclaimed. "That's a really rare badge. The legendary Strike Raid badge allows you to throw your keyblade more then once at a fast pace. That could be extremely useful to us."

"So, are we close to becoming heros?"

"Not yet." Oak said shaking his head. "You have a long way to go."

"Mama-mia." Luigi sighed. "This is taking forever."

"Be patience man." Sora said to Luigi. "We'll become heros soon. Just you wait and see."

"Then I hope to see you three soon." Oak nodded.

Sora's group boarded the Toad Express and headed off. Using the warp feature, they warped back to Shy Guy's Toybox where they continued their journey. For the next hour our heros sat around and didn't do much. Luigi played his Gameboy Advance and even let Sora try it. Sora beat Luigi's hi score in seconds flat.

"How did you do that?" Luigi asked Sora in shock.

"Beginners luck." Sora chuckled nervously.

Toadsworth entered the room. "Master Sora, we're approaching a world."

"Cool! Let's check it out." Sora said approaching the window. He looked out the window to see a tiny star which was probably about 50 feet. "That's a world? That thing is so small."

"This world is called Dreamland." Toadsworth explained to Sora. "Home of the Cappy's of Cappy Town. Although, the inhabitants are rather odd but friendly creatures, I may suggest changing your appearance to be safe."

"Then let's-a-go!" Luigi cried.

"Hold on!" Sora said stopping Luigi. "If you took the time to notice, we have two problems. Number 1: We're too big! We'd squash it! Number 2: We can't change our appearance."

"That's were you're wrong kid." Luigi chuckled. "Wiseman taught only me a special ability."

"What that?" Yoshi asked.

"The power to change our size and appearance." Luigi responded.

"Is it safe?" Sora asked nervously.

"It's not tested but I'm going to give it a shot." Luigi pointed his finger at Sora and snapped it. A smoke poofed in front of Sora and he then was wearing a Little Bo Peep costume. "Luigi, I think you need work on this magic thing."

"Work nothing, kid." Luigi said breaking into hard laughter. "I wanted to make you look stupid!"

Both Luigi and Toadsworth rolled on the floor with laughter and Yoshi giggled.

"Sora, so pretty in pink." Yoshi giggled.

Sora got red in the face and walked over to Luigi and bonked him on the head with his staff.

"You better change me back or else!" Sora snarled.

"Okay, okay." Luigi gulped. "I was only fooling." Luigi snapped his finger and Sora turned back to normal. "Least it works. Now, I'll use my magic to shrink us to the size of a mini meatball and when we arrive, I'll change our appearance."

"Then let's go!"

Luigi snapped his finger shrinking himself, Sora and Yoshi. Toadsworth picked them up and put them in a warp pipe. They were on their way to Cappy Town.


	17. I Dream of Kirby Part I

A/N: I've decided to make the Kirby chapters follow both the game and the anime. (Besides, the anime gives me an extra cast of characters to work with) Enjoy!

Chapter XVI: I "Dream" of Kirby Part I

Cappy Town was a small town that resided in Dreamland. The Cappies were little ghost like creatures with oval black eyes, tan bodies, pudgy hands with no fingers. They lead a normal life in this quaint little town. There were stores, houses, restaurants, and anything else you could think of. The Cappies came in all sizes, there were Cappy children playing in the streets and adults talking to each other. There was one Cappy who was a police officer and he was directing traffic for Cappies who drove cars. At a corner of town, a few Cappies were walking by the streets when they noticed three odd creatures. They were a bit curious but decided not to bother. Unlike the Cappies, these three had arms, hands, and feet but no legs. One had a red oval shaped chest with yellow feet, while the others had green chests but one had brown feet and the other had red feet. The faces were known right away. Those face belonged to non other then Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi. Sora looked around cautiously.

"Are you sure about this, Luigi?" Sora asked nervously. "We don't look a thing like them."

"They look like ghost." Yoshi whimpered.

"Don't worry." Luigi assured. "The Cappies are very friendly and they are not the only creature that inhabit this world. Besides, I think we would need hands and feet to fight the heartless."

"Good point." Sora nodded "But does Dreamland always seem to lack in the department of legs?"

"That's just the way they are kid." Luigi said. "We can't change that."

"Don't legs help Yoshi walk?"

"Get use to it!" Luigi snapped. "I can't do anything about it now. We can't let people suspect us."

"Okay." Sora shrugged. He began to walk and then fell down. Luigi and Yoshi landed on top of him. "Ugh! It's so hard to walk like this!"

"It's not that hard." Luigi said as he stood up. "All you have to do is..." He then broke into song and dance. "Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be waking across the floor!" Sora and Yoshi just stared at him with confused looks. "Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be waking out the door!" Luigi ran into a tree and fell down.

Sora looked at Luigi with a raised eyebrow. "That was so sad. Not only do you tell lame jokes, but your little act needs work."

"At least I tried." Luigi grumbled.

"But Luigi good at being klutzy." Yoshi giggled.

"Can't you two ever cut me some slack?" Luigi sighed.

"One thing you're really good at is being a really good friend." Sora smiled at Luigi.

"Aw, thanks Sora." Luigi said blushing. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do." Sora said with a warm smile. "All for one and one for all!" Sora slowly walked across the street and turned to his group. "You were right, Luigi. It's not so hard! Let's go exploring guys!"

Luigi and Yoshi nodded and followed.

World Name: Dreamland

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi began looking around the small town. On the way, they stopped at a store to pick up supplies. As they exited, Sora bumped into a Cappy who wore a brown hat, a brown shirt with a blue bow tie, and had a white moustache.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir." Sora apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's quite alright lad." The man chuckled. "I've never seen your face around here before. What's your name?"

"My name is Sora."

"Glad to meet you Sora. I'm the mayor of Cappy Town. We are always welcomed to guests. Say where did you boys come from anyways?"

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi come from Delfino..." Yoshi began but was quickly cut off by Luigi.

"Another part of Dreamland, sir." Luigi interrupted. Luigi grabbed Yoshi's head and whispered in his ear. "What did I say before about letting on where we're are from?"

"Don't say anything." Yoshi responded sheepishly.

"Exactly."

"Another part you say?" The Mayor said. "I bet you boys are tired after a long journey over here. We have an inn not too far from here, if you need a rest."

Sora was about to responded when the police Cappy rammed him into a wall and tries to handcuff him. "Huh? What's going on? I didn't do it! I swear! Luigi did it!"

"What are you talking about kid?" Luigi screamed at Sora. "Don't try to get me involved!"

"That's what they all say." The police Cappy said.

"Chief Bookem!" The Mayor cried. "What on earth are you doing to that poor boy?"

"I saw him attack you, Mr. Mayor." Bookem responded. "So, I'm taking justice into my own hands."

"No, no, no!" The Mayor shook his head. "He bumped into me, not attacked me."

Chief Bookem stopped what he was doing and turned to the Mayor with a nervous look. "He just bumped into you?" The mayor nodded and Chief Bookem turned back to Sora. "Oh...um...nothing to worry about. This was just...a...training exercise. Yeah! That's it! Just a training exercise!"

"Good." Sora said upset. "Now could you let go of me?"

"Oh, yes! Right! Sorry, son." Bookem said backing off. He then turned towards the mayor. "Sorry, mayor. I didn't mean to interrupt your little chat. I just got suspicious about these three characters. Never seen em before."

"They just came here from another part of Dreamland." The Mayor explained.

"Out of town folk, eh?" Bookem said raising his eye. "Well, already been five minutes and I don't trust them. Especially, the one with the big nose."

Yoshi crossed his arms and made an upset look. "Yoshi never been so insulted in whole life."

"Bookem!" The Mayor shouted. "Don't be rude to our guests."

"Okay, okay." Bookem sighed. "I'll let you off for now, but if you cause any trouble, I'll lock all three of you up." The trio gulped and Bookem turned to the mayor. "Good day, sir."

Chief Bookem walked leaving an upset Sora.

"Man, what a grouch!" Sora commented.

"He's not that bad once you get to know him." The Mayor chuckled. "If you fellas are looking for any information we have an information kiosk over to the left. That should help you find the inn. Plus, our world famous restaurant is here."

"Restaurant?" Yoshi said excitedly. "Yoshi there!"

"Yeah, I am getting hungry." Sora agreed. "Thank you sir."

"Don't mention it." The Mayor chortled. "Well, need to get home. Don't want to keep the misses worried to death. Farewell!"

Sora's group said good-bye and headed off. At the kiosk, Sora picked up a map and Luigi held onto it. They walked through Cappy Town for a little bit admiring it. They reached a small park area at the edge of town and sat down on a bench. Luigi looked at the map with Sora and Yoshi looking on.

"Okay, so the inn is by the restaurant." Luigi said observing the map. "We'll check into the inn and then get something to eat at the restaurant. Okay with you guys?"

"Okay." Sora and Yoshi said together.

"Let's get going then."

Sora's group was about to leave when they heard a female voice. "Come on, Tuff! Hurry up!"

Sora noticed five more creatures running towards them. They weren't Cappies, but two of them were just like what Sora's group was. The first one was a young girl who had light yellow skin, and long hair which half of it was in a ponytail. She wore a shirt which was half pink and half light green with a egg cracked look in the middle. She also had orange feet. The second one was a boy younger then the girl who had more darker yellow skin then she had, mushroom cut hair which was colored yellow and blue, and it covered his eyes. He wore corduroy type pants without a shirt and had green feet. The next two creatures Sora saw weren't running, but floating. They were both round creatures one with blue skin and the other with pink skin. They had white gloves and white feet. Also the pink one wore a bow in her head. The most interesting creature that Sora saw last, but not least was a pink, round creature with oval eyes, blushing red cheeks, arms that were both small and pudgy, and small red feet. The two floating creatures went so fast that they ran into Luigi.

"Ouch!" Luigi cried. "Watch, where your going!"

"Oh, we're sorry." The pink one said turning to Luigi.

"We didn't mean to..." The blue one began. When the saw Luigi they both screamed and hid behind the girl.

"What?" Luigi asked. "Is it my breath?" Luigi breaths on his hand and smells it and plugs his nose. "Stinky, sausages! I need a breath mint!"

"Fololo? Falala? What's the matter?" The girl said to her frighten friends.

"It's a monster!" Fololo cried.

"Run for your lives!" Falala shrieked.

The girl looked at Sora's group and then giggled. "Don't worry guys. They seem friendly."

"Yoshi mean no harm." Yoshi said softly.

"Sorry about that." The girl said turning to Sora's group. "They can get scared sometimes."

"Don't worry about it." Sora chuckled. "Luigi here thinks there's a monster under his bed."

"I do not!" Luigi said angrily at Sora.

"You must be the visitors from another part of Dreamland." The girl assumed. "I heard the mayor mention you three before. We are always welcomed to guests from other parts of Dreamland."

"I don't know, Tiff." The boy said crossing his arms. "They look different."

Sora rubbed his head and chuckled. "W-what do you mean? We're from Dreamland, just very far away from Cappy Town."

"They do look different, but they seem harmless." Tiff said observing Sora. "Besides, the one with spiked hair is kinda cute." Sora rubbed his head and chuckled. "I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Tiff."

"And I'm her brother Tuff." The boy said.

"And we're their friends Fololo..." Fololo began.

"And Falala." Falala finished.

"Nice to meet you all." Luigi said. "But who is that pink puff ball?"

"Oh, I forgot." Tiff said smacking her forehead. "This little guy is our very special friend Kirby. Say hi Kirby."

Kirby looked at our heros confused at first but then he smiled and waved.

"Kirby! Kirby!" He said.

"Great, another Pokemon." Luigi sighed rolling his eyes. Sora then stomped his foot on Luigi's foot causing him to scream. "Yow! That hurt!" He turned angrily to Sora. "What was that for?" Luigi then knew why Sora did that. "Oops, er...forget I said that."

"Okay." Tiff said confused. "And Kirby can't really speak too well yet. He may have a hard time understanding you."

"Hi, Kirby." Sora said sweetly bending down to Kirby. "My name's Sora."

"Name Sora." Kirby repeated.

"Huh?"

Kirby then smiled and pointed at Sora. "Name Sora."

"I'm-a-Luigi." Luigi said.

"Luigi!" Kirby repeated.

"I Yoshi." Yoshi said.

"Yoshi!" Kirby repeated.

"Wow! He's like a baby." Sora said with aw. "That's so cute."

Yoshi made an envy look at Kirby as he jumped up and down for Sora who started laughing.

"Interesting little fellow." Luigi said admiring Kirby. He then turned to Tiff. "By the way kid, you guys looked like you were in a hurry. What's the rush?"

"We were all playing a game when these..."

"Tiff!" Tuff cried. "They're back!"

Everyone turned to see F-Zero heartless and some new ones called Star Fighters. (Little small round heartless with star swords)

"On, no!"

"Quick! Hide!" Sora shouted getting his keyblade out. "Leave them to us!"

"Okay!" Tiff said grabbing Kirby's hand and running behind a tree. Tuff, Fololo, and Falala followed Tiff and Kirby to the tree.

Sora's group ran at the heartless with full speed. The F-Zero racers tripped our heros by driving under them, but they quickly got back onto their feet. The Star fighters jumped into the air and brought their swords down on Sora who blocked it with his keyblade. Still not fully used to his new body, he fell down and rolled out of the way of another attack. Sora got up and took out the Strike Raid badge.

"Let's see if this thing can really work." Sora said to himself.

Sora threw his keyblade at the heartless destroying them. As another group was about to tackle him, Sora threw it again destroying more. However, the heartless continued to come at them in numbers. Sora used his summon gem to call Ness into battle and he used his PK flash attack to send them all flying. He then used Mr. Game & Watch who hit the heartless in the heads with his sausages. Sora rolled his eyes but changed his tune once Mr. Game & Watch used a crab to destroy the rest of them.

"_I've got to stop judging books by covers." _Sora thought.

Luigi and Yoshi returned from the summon gem and they walked over to the tree where Kirby's group was hiding.

"You can come out now!" Luigi called to them. "The coast is clear!"

Kirby's group walked out from behind the bush and Tuff cheered.

"Oh, man!" He cheered. "That was awesome! You guys rock!"

"Aw, shucks." Yoshi blushed. "It nothing."

"Those were the creatures that attacked us." Fololo and Falala said together.

"They were chasing us, but Kirby got rid of some of them." Tuff added.

"You mean Kirby fights?"

"You should see him in action." Tiff said proudly. "He's a real star warrior."

"Warrior?" Luigi scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Don't make fun of him!" Tuff snapped. "You wouldn't believe some of the cool things he can do."

"Well, we could use that right now." Sora gulped. "We got company!"

More heartless approached the group.

"What we do now?" Yoshi said cowering behind Sora.

Kirby ran forward and began running in place really fast. He then opened his mouth and the heartless went flying into Kirby's mouth. He sucked them all in one gulp and ate them up. Kirby jumped up and down cheering. Kirby's group also cheered while Sora's group had dropped mouths.

"Did you just see.." Sora said in shock. "He ate...them...all...in one gulp!"

"Me and my brother can't even eat that fast." Luigi said. "I guess I underestimated your little friend."

"Goyo!" Kirby cheered. "Goyo!"

"Told ya!" Tiff laughed. "Kirby has fought tons of monsters before. But he eats too much!"

"Sometimes his eating can get us into trouble." Tuff added.

"Well, looks like somebody has finally met his match!" Luigi snickered to Yoshi.

Yoshi shook his head. "No way! Yoshi still best eater here!" He then turned to a tree. "Watch Yoshi eat fruit from tree." Yoshi stuck his tongue out at the tree and tried to eat the fruit when he accidently went a little over it and warped his tongue around the tree but Yoshi didn't know that. "Hard fruit!" Yoshi pulled on the tree but in the end he fell down from pulling so hard.

"Are you okay, Yoshi?" Sora asked concerned.

"Yoshi fine." Yoshi groaned. "But that hard fruit."

"That wasn't a fruit." Tuff said. "You wrapped your tongue around a tree."

"Huh?" Yoshi said in surprise. "Yoshi never miss target! Has Yoshi lost touch?"

"It's the end of the world!" Luigi cried teasingly.

"Don't tease!" Sora snapped at Luigi.

Kirby opened his mouth and sucked up the fruit without a problem. Yoshi grumbled at Kirby and walked back to Sora. Kirby turned to Tiff and rubbed his little stomach.

"Kirby's still hungry." Tiff said. "We were about to go eat and then head home when those things attacked us."

"Not even Kirby could handle them all." Fololo pointed out.

"So, how are we going to get there without those things attacking us again?" Tuff asked Tiff.

"We don't mean to ruin your day, but would you come with us?" Tiff pleaded to Sora. "If you do, dinner will be on us."

"Yoshi go!" Yoshi cheered.

"Yeah, the heartless are quite dangerous." Sora nodded. "So, we'll escort you guys to the restaurant and to your home. Funny thing is we're heading to the restaurant ourselves."

"Then let's get going already!" Luigi said anxiously. "I'm hungry!"

Luigi and the kids made their way to the restaurant. Of course, on the way the heartless attacked. Kirby fought along side Sora's team. He sucked up some of the enemies and spat them out at other heartless. Kirby could also trip some of the heartless and hold his breath, causing him to blow up into a balloon. Kirby's most unique ability was when a lightning striker (A cloud heartless) attacked, he was able to suck it up and gained a jester's hat.

"What just happened to him?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Kirby can copy monster's abilities and use them." Tiff explained. "He is now Beam Kirby."

Kirby took out a magic wand and shot electric energy at the heartless destroying them. One attacked him and he ducked under it and charged up his attack and shot it at another one. Sora and the others helped dispose of the rest of them. Afterwards, they arrived at a Japanese type restaurant.

Luigi looked at it in disappointment._"I miss my pasta."_

"Here we are!" Tuff announced. "Kawasaki's restaurant."

Yoshi began sniffing all around. "Something smell good. But not to good."

"Yeah." Tiff said. "Chef Kawasaki's cooking isn't too great, but at least he tries."

Sora and the gang entered the restaurant. It was a small Japanese style restaurant with small wooden tables and chairs set up. A egg shaped tan creature wearing a chief's hat and a cooking apron walked out to greet them.

"Tiff, Tuff." He said. "Glad you two could drop by." He then turned to noticed Kirby. He made a disappointed look at him. "Oh, and you brought Kirby as well." Kirby ran into the restaurant trying to find a table.

"What's up Chef Kawasaki?"

"Same old, same old." Chef Kawasaki responded. "Business is as slow as ever. I was hoping later to see the Cappy Town 20th anniversary parade. But after this meal, I think I'll be here all night." He then noticed Sora. "Oh, my! Are these new friends of yours?"

"These are Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi." Fololo introduced. "They helped us fight off some of those creatures."

"Well..." Chef Kawasaki said shaking Sora's hand. "Any friend of Tiff and Tuff's is a friend of mine. Please make yourselves at home fellas."

"Thank you sir." Sora said.

The group found a long table to sit at and ordered their food. After waiting ten minutes Chef Kawasaki brought them their food which took five trips. Everyone (Especially Yoshi and Kirby) ate it all up.

"Eat up guys." Tiff said. "We're going to put this on my dad's account, so you can eat as much as you like."

"Good." Sora said munching away. "Cause I'm ordering another one."

Yoshi licked his plate clean and looked up. "Yoshi order two more."

"These two have endless stomachs." Luigi said rolling his eyes.

Chef Kawasaki walked in with tho more bowls panting. "Wow! You kids sure can eat! These are the last two bowls. Who wants one?"

Sora raised his hand and the Chef gave it to him. Yoshi and Kirby both wanted the last one, but upon realizing they both wanted it, the two gave each other stares you would only see in westerns.

"Last bowl Yoshi's." Yoshi said evilly to Kirby.

"Goyo! Goyo!" Kirby replied.

"Well, I can't stand around all day." Kawasaki groaned. "Which one of you wants it?"

"Yoshi have idea." Yoshi said arousing with an idea. "Yoshi challenge Kirby to a showdown! One who eats bowl first wins!" The kids chuckled and rolled their eyes but then again they knew how powerful Yoshi and Kirby were when it came to eating, so they decided to watch.

Kirby nodded and they both jumped out of their chairs. Chef Kawasaki shrugged and sat the bowl down in between Yoshi and Kirby who stared at each other.

"I cannot wait to see this." Luigi chuckled. "It's the battle of the century! Two titans of eating going at each other!"

Everyone else shushed Luigi up as the wind blew lightly into the room. Yoshi puts his hands at his sides and began wiggling them. Kirby put his hands up as well.

"This town ain't big enough for two eaters." Yoshi said in a low voice.

"Goyo." Kirby said in a low voice as well.

"I'll announce the draw." Tuff announced. "When I say draw, draw!"

Both competitors began sweating nervously.

"3...2...1...DRAW!"

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and wrapped it around the bowl. Kirby tried sucking the bowl in but Yoshi held on with all his might. For awhile, both struggled back and forth with the food. Sora was cheering Yoshi on while the kids were cheering Kirby on. Luigi was cracking up upon seeing it.. Finally, both Kirby and Yoshi fell over and the bowl went flying into the air and landed on top of Luigi's head.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?" Luigi exclaimed. He got up and was so blind that he ran into a wall which had a picture of Chef Kawasaki. The picture fell off and the Chef dove for the picture and grabbed it, but then tripped over Luigi and crashed into a table. Luigi took off the bowl and began eating the pasta in it. "Hey, this pasta is pretty good."

"Looks like Luigi won the food." Sora chuckled. Both Kirby and Yoshi sighed.

"So that means it's a tie." Tuff said. "Both Kirby and Yoshi are the ultimate eaters."

"Great." Kawasaki groaned. "Another Kirby."

Kawasaki fainted. Sora and the gang helped cleaned up the mess done by Yoshi and Kirby. They then payed the check and left.

"Well, that's one dinning experience I won't forget." Luigi said stretching his arms.

"Looks like Yoshi's not the only one who could eat so good." Sora chuckled.

Kirby extended his hand to Yoshi, but Yoshi turned away from him with his arms crossed. But being the sweat hearted dinosaur he was Yoshi turned around with a smile and shook Kirby's hand.

"That's so cute." Tiff said with an aw. "They're friends now."

"Hey sis!" Tuff called to Tiff. "We should get back to the castle! I'm getting worried that those creatures might try do something to our parents."

"Your parents are the King and Queen of this world?" Luigi asked Tiff with surprise.

"I wish." She sighed. "You see my dad is the King's Court Official, so we all live at the castle."

"Oh, so your dad only works for the king." Sora said. "Who is the king anyway?"

"A big fat loser named Dedede." Tuff said angrily.

"Fat as in a ton of bricks." Both Falala and Fololo sang together.

"I take it he's not a very good king." Luigi assumed.

"Dedede makes all these dumb laws and tries to ruin our fun." Tiff told Sora. "He even hates Kirby and tries to get rid of him using some company called Nightmare Enterprises. But Kirby always foils his plans. Right Kirby?"

"Goyo!" Kirby said happily.

"I have a hunch that maybe he's the one who summoned those creatures here." Tiff continued. "We should let daddy know about this."

"But ever since they've shown up, he's been acting really weird." Tuff pointed out to his sister.

"Yeah, dad has been acting weird." Tiff said to herself. She then turned to Sora. "I'm sorry to bother, but would you come with us again?"

"No problem." Sora turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "Okay with you guys?" Luigi and Yoshi nodded. "Then let's go to the castle!"

Our heros headed out of Cappy Town and into the fields of Dreamland. They encountered more heartless but with Kirby's help they quickly disposed of them. Tiff and Tuff also pointed out some of the scenery of Dreamland to our heros. About a few minutes later, they arrived at a giant yellow bricked castle. There were many towers all over it with a red top. In the middle was an oval shaped part with a yellow top. On the fortress part below were cannons that were lined up all around the castle. The gang was just about ready to enter when heartless blocked their path. Sora and the gang were ready to fight when a hamster jumped in.

"Hey Rick." Tiff said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to help you guys out." Rick replied with an Australian accent.. "Kirby! Hop on my shoulders!" Kirby nodded and jumped onto Rick's shoulders. The Star Fighters tried to attack Rick but he jumped out of the way and absorbed one of their blades with his mouth. He then took Kirby and threw him like a boomerang at the heartless. "What goes around..." Kirby sliced back at the heartless and Rick caught him. "Comes around mate!"

Sora slashed at some of the heartless with his keyblade. He jumped onto the castle wall and kicked against it pushing him back at the heartless. Sora has gotten used to his body now and was able to take charge. He could do back flips over the heartless and roll passed them. Luigi used the P-3000 to suck some of the heartless up, while Yoshi ate them and spat them back out. The group finished the rest of the heartless and regrouped.

"Thanks for the help." Sora said to Rick.

"No problem, mate." Rick smiled. "I saw you kids in trouble, so I had to help. Besides, Kirby is a really good friend of mine. I'd do anything to help."

"We got to get going Rick." Tiff said rushing everyone.

"Okay, G'day." Rick said waving good-bye.

The gang headed up to the entrance of the castle and Tiff knocked on the door. Two creatures answered the door. The first one wore dark green armor, with green feet, a black chest, and a belt which held a sword in a sheath. The second one had light green armor on top, a blue stomach below, red long hair that went down the back, a pointy nose, brown shoes, and a sword in a sheath as well.

"It's Tiff." The dark green one said.

The other one mumbled but then spoke up. "...and Tuff."

"Hey, Sword! Hey, Blade!" Tuff greeted the two.

"I'm glad you're safe." Sword Knight sighed to Tiff. "It's been too dangerous out there. Your parents were worried sick."

"Well, we should go see them." Tiff nodded. "Our parents usually never worry this much."

Blade Night began mumbling again. "...Because those creatures attacked."

"Does he speak English?" Luigi asked Tiff raising his eyebrow.

"Don't make fun of me!" Blade mumbled trying to attack Luigi. Sword held him back.

"Calm down!" Sword shouted. "He didn't mean it." He then turned suspiciously to Sora's group. "Who are these blokes? They look awfully suspicious to me. Especially, the one with the big nose."

Yoshi got mad and crossed his arms.

"They're our new friends." Fololo said defending Sora's group. "They protected us from those monsters."

"They don't mean any harm." Falala said helping her twin.

"Please!" Tiff begged. "You let Kirby slide by, but couldn't you let these three come in."

"Well..." Sword thought.

Blade mumbled again and nodded. "...Okay."

"Thanks a lot, guys." Tuff said happily.

"Just hurry up before the king comes." Sword said looking around quickly.

Luigi and the kids entered quickly into the castle. As the two knights closed the door, a mysterious shadow watched from a shady tree with his glowing green eyes.

"He has come." He said in a mysterious foreign accent.

Back inside, Tiff and Tuff lead the gang down a small hallway in the castle. They arrived at a room and Tiff opened up the door. The room was pretty big. It had a mini dinning table, two red couches, and a normal table. Kirby began jumping around the room looking for food.

"Tiff? Tuff?" Called a female voice. "Is that you?"

The group turned to notice a female creatures who wore a long pink dress, had dark yellow skin, held a fan in her hand, and had green earrings.

"Hi mom." Tiff said greeting the creature.

"Hello darling." She said kissing her daughter. "Are you alright dear? I heard those creatures were all over Cappy Town."

"Yeah, but we had help from Kirby and these guys." Tuff said referring to Kirby and Sora's group.

"Guys, this is our mom Lady Like." Tiff introduced. "Mom, this is Sora."

"Pleasure to meet you Sora." Lade Like said shaking Sora's hand. "I am forever in your debt for protecting my little ones. They mean the world to me."

"Don't worry about it ma'am." Sora smiled.

"Tiff? Tiff is that you?" Called a male voice. A male creature entered the room. He had yellow skin, wore a buttoned down purple shirt with partly rolled up sleeves, brown pants (Although he didn't have legs) a purple moustache, and purple hair shaped like a judge in a court's hair.

"Daddy!" Tiff said happily running up to her father but she looked up to notice a disappointed look. "What's wrong?"

"Tiff!" He said angrily. "Where have you and your brother been? It's late! You disobeyed me! Ever since those things attacked, I've just been concerned with your safety and yet you were still out too long."

"But daddy..."

"Forget it, Tiff." Tuff said stopping her sister. "Dad's just completely out of it!"

Fololo and Falala began floating around Tiff and Tuff's father. "You stand before the King's Court Official, Sir Ebrum."

He looked at Sora's group with a funny look. "Oh, my! Who are these three gents?"

"They're real rocking heros!" Tuff cheered. "They could be as cool as Kirby!"

"What Tuff meant was they helped us fight off those creatures." Tiff said. "They are very friendly and they're here to visit Cappy Town."

"Hm, I've never seen them before." Ebrum said curiously. "What part of Dreamland are you from?"

Sora's group made nervous looks considering they didn't know anything about Dreamland.

"Good question." Sora laughed nervously rubbing his head. "Luigi was just about to tell you." He then put his arm behind Luigi's back. "Right, Luigi?"

"Your going to regret that you brat." Luigi grumbled to Sora. "Uh...we...came...from...er..." Luigi looked around the room looking for something. He then noticed a sign that said Ice Cream Mountain, a wonderful vacation resort. "We came from Ice Cream Mountain!"

"Ice Cream?" Yoshi cried excitedly. "Where?"

Kirby ran into the kitchen excitedly holding a spoon upon hearing Luigi say "Ice Cream." Sora compressed his laughter. Everyone else made confused looks.

"Oh, dear." Lady Like said worried. "It's very cold up there. How do you deal with the winter?"

"Nice going, Luigi." Sora whispered. "Now what are you going to do?"

"Um...hehe...we use our magic fire power to stay warm." Luigi lied.

"Oh. So, gentlemen." Ebrum said sitting in his chair. "What brings you all the way to Cappy Town?"

"We here to find keyhole." Yoshi said.

"Yoshi!" Sora and Luigi yelled at Yoshi.

"What did Yoshi say?" Yoshi shouted back in surprise.

"Keyhole, you say?" Lady Like gasped in amazement. "Is this a special type of keyhole?"

As they were talking Kirby walked back in and thought about something. You could tell that it was related to the keyhole because he was listening in very closely and he usually fools around.

"There are many keyholes here but what's so important about this one?" Tiff asked.

"Well..." Yoshi began to say.

"It's not important because it doesn't exist!" Ebrum rudely interrupted. "There's no such thing! Especially, in this kingdom."

"But daddy..." Tiff said.

"Tiff! Stop!" Fololo and Falala cried together.

"That's enough young lady!" Ebrum shouted at his daughter. "Until these creatures leave, you or your brother will not be allowed to wonder from the castle! Is that clear?"

"Nice going sis." Tuff grumbled at Tiff

"Tuff!" Lady Like snapped at Tuff.

"Yes, sir." Tiff said sadly. "I understand."

Kirby then ran up to the door exiting the room and called to everyone. "Goyo! Goyo!"

"What's the matter Kirby?" Tuff asked turning to Kirby. Kirby ran out the door and Tuff gasped. "Uh-oh! If Kirby runs into Dedede he's in trouble! Come on everyone!"

Tuff and Sora's group ran after Kirby. Tiff the one who was usually spirted and active sighed and followed. Ebrum sat in his chair and sighed sadly.

"What is wrong with me my dear?" Ebrum said with mope. "I've been acting so mean to my own children. How could one who has a good heart become so evil to his own flesh and blood? Oh, darling! Have I become ill?"

"Just relax dear." Lady Like said patting her husband's hand. "Perhaps you should take something and then go lie down for a little while. Any moment you'll start residing poetry from Shakespeare when you get upset."

"Perhaps you're right love." He agreed. "A little rest should do me well."

"What about this keyhole that they've mentioned?" Fololo said. "I've become quite curious about it."

"That's non of your concern Fololo." Ebrum said looking up to Fololo. "Such an absurd thing can't possibly exist. And you two haven't been keeping such a good eye on my children."

"No, sir!" The twins said nervously together. "We mean...yes, sir!"

Sir Ebrum walked slowly into a bedroom where he got in his bed and fell asleep. Lady Like closed the door and turned to Fololo and Falala.

"Now that my poor Ebrum is asleep, we can talk about Dedede." Lady Like said to the twins. "What do you have to report?"

"Well, upon observing his throne last night, we have discovered that those creatures in fact came from him." Fololo said.

"I knew it!" She cried. "That troublesome king is up to no good!"

"So what else is new?" Falala sighed. "What should we do Lady Like?"

"You two need to stay with Tiff and Tuff for right now." Lady Like instructed. "Just so my dear Ebrum doesn't worry. I'll figure out what to do about the king." Fololo and Falala then gave her strange looks. "What? I'll figure out something."

The twins left the room and Lady Like sighed. Meanwhile, Sora and the others chased Kirby down a flight of stairs.

"Mama-mia." Luigi panted. "He's fast for a small guy."

"Maybe, you're slow for a big guy." Sora said. "Hurry, he's getting away!"

The gang finally reached the bottom of the castle and everyone stopped when Kirby stopped at a door behind a corner. Everyone was panting from running down so many stairs.

"Man!" Tuff sighed. "Kirby could probably run up to 100 miles. He's fast!"

"I think I know why Kirby led us down here." Tiff said to everyone.

"How come?" Yoshi asked Tiff.

Kirby jumped for the door and turned the doorknob. As it opened, he waved his hand to everyone telling them to come in. What the trio and Tuff saw in the next room amazed them. It was a round circular room with a lot of shelves. Sora noticed many different old items on the shelves such as antique telescopes, globes, books, pottery etc. During the time they were looking around Sora noticed one of the Torn Pages and grabbed it while no one was watching.

"What is this place?" Sora asked in amazement.

"This is where Kirby keeps all of his souvenirs he found from other worlds." Tiff responded.

"How come you never told me about this place?" Tuff asked his sister upset. "And don't say because you..."

"Never asked?" Tiff finished with a giggled.

"I told you not to tell me that!" Tuff said in anger.

Luigi gasped. "Wait a minute! You're saying that Kirby's from another world?"

"Goyo!" Kirby nodded.

"Yeah!" Tiff nodded. "You see, Kirby was assigned to this world and wasn't expected to arrive for another two-hundred years! But Dedede summoned a monster here which caused Kirby's space ship to respond to it and warp drive"

"Two-hundred?" Luigi exclaimed.

"So that's why he acts like a baby." Sora said smacking his forehead.

"Sora? How long is two-hundred years?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"Really, long time." Sora responded. He then whispered into Luigi's ear. "Wouldn't he be meddling in the affairs of other worlds?"

"Not really." Luigi said shaking his head. "You see, Kirby was born and chosen to go to Dreamland. This is just a theory but I think that since he's already been living here for a long time he was considered a resident of Dreamland. So, he may have bypassed the law. It's like all of us, there is a purpose for us being on what world we were born in or chosen to go. Your friend Kairi came from one other world and that was it. But however, since the three of us are only visitors to more then one world, that's where the problem comes in."

"Wow." Sora said to Luigi. "You've been really thinking this through."

"Ever since the I read that Ansem report, I guess I was questioning a lot of things." Luigi said.

"Hey! What are you two whispering about?" Tuff asked suspiciously.

"Er...nothing." Sora gulped. "Luigi was telling me about that three bean salad he had last night."

"Oh, yeah!" Luigi agreed. "It was b-a-d! Bad!"

"You know, I have a secret I would like to share with all of you as well." Tiff said shyly. "I've never told anyone this but one day I'm going to visit other worlds with Kirby. Ever since he came here, it's been on my mind. One day! Just, one day! I know it sounds crazy, but that's something I want to do."

"I don't think it's crazy." Sora disagreed. "I used to feel the same way." Luigi then stomped on Sora's foot. "Ow!"

"_Revenge is sweat!" _Luigi though with a sinister smirk.

"Is that some sort of Ice Cream Mountain tradition?" Tuff asked Tiff referring to the stomping of the foot.

Tiff shrugged her shoulders but then she made a questioned look at Sora. "What do you mean used to?"

"I mean...I still do." Sora said trying to cover up what he last said. "But it would be fun."

"I have an idea!" Tiff said excitedly. "Why don't we go after that keyhole you mentioned earlier?"

"Why?"

"Because it sounds like a really cool thing." Tiff responded. "I've seen many really cool things before but this keyhole of your's sounds like something out of this world."

"We can't." Luigi whispered to Sora. "She, her brother, and that pink powder puff would get in the way." He then thought of an excuse to get rid of them and then turned to Tiff. "But what about your father? Didn't you listen to a word he said?"

"My father would trust me with his life!" Tiff snapped at Luigi. "I just don't know why he's been acting so weird. I'm smart for my age and I'm very mature. It's like my father doesn't understand anymore."

"Our dad is usually a very nice person." Tuff added. "He wouldn't act like this!"

Unknown to the group, Fololo and Falala were watching the whole thing. They then turned to each other, nodded, and left.

"So I'm going rather you like it or not Mr. Luigi." Tiff said with confidence at Luigi.

"No shoes, no shirt, no service." Yoshi added crossing his arms. Everyone looked at him funny. "What?" Kirby laughed and stomped on Yoshi's foot. "Ow!" He then growled at Kirby. "What that for?"

"I guess Kirby wants to get into your little tradition." Tiff giggled.

"Um...right." Sora said slightly confused. "Then let's get going, gang!"

The kids began to leave the room. Before Sora left Tiff stopped him.

"Sora?" Tiff said softly. "Please don't tell my dad about this."

"No problem." Sora nodded. "You can count on me!"

The kids left the room leaving a worried Luigi. "But...but...but..." He then sighed and walked out the door. "Forget it! It's their fault in the end."

Unknown to not even Fololo and Falala somebody else was watching the same thing. A big, grey, ugly snail named Escargoon.

"So." He snickered. "Those brats are going after the keyhole, eh? King Dedede would love to know this!"

Escargoon slithered away and went back upstairs to the throne room where King Dedede was sitting on his throne. He held a little round mirror in his hand and was looking in the mirror blowing kisses.

"I say who is that find looking hunk in the mirror?" He chortled. "Oh that's right! It's me! You are beautiful! You are so smart! With my plan falling into place, I'll finally get the respect I deserve. And this time...not even Kirby can stop me." Just then, a little creature that was colored orange brought in a giant stake. "Lunch time!" Dedede got up and ran over to the table, sat down, and began devouring it.

Escargoon entered to see Dedede eating away.

"_I don't know what's bigger, his ego, his appetite, or his stomach." _Escargoon thought rolling his eyes. "Pardon me, sir!"

"Escargoon! Can't you see I'm busy eating?" Dedede said while stuffing his face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt his Majesty's lunch but Kirby and those brats are looking for the keyhole." Escargoon said approaching the king. Upon hearing that, Dedede began choking on his steak. "What's wrong, kingy? Snail got your tongue?" Dedede then bonked him on the head with his hand. "All right already!" He helped Dedede spit the steak out.

Dedede got up and grabbed Escargoon by the throat. "What? How on earth do they know about the keyhole? We need it for the plan!"

"That brat with the key is with them, sire!" Escargoon said gasping for air.

Dedede dropped Escargoon and ran out onto the balcony part. He took some binoculars and looked out. He saw Tiff, Tuff, Kirby, Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi running through the bushes.

"So, they think that they can find the keyhole?" Dedede laughed. "Well, they've got another thing coming to them because I've got the heartless on my side. And Tiff is doing her part."

"That opposites monster you ordered is making Sir Ebrum look like a heartless man." Escargoon said. "In my opinion..."

"Nobody wants your opinion!" Dedede said slamming the binoculars on Escargoon's head. "I need some more of them heartless and Ebrum is doing his part as well."

Dedede sat down at his throne and pushed a button. One of the walls moved up and a giant TV monitor came down. The screen turned on and a man with a grey face, dark green short hair, yellow sun glasses, and a blue business suit appeared on screen.

"King Dedede!" He said. "Welcome back to Nightmare Enterprise! How can I help you?"

"Listen bud, I need some more heartless pronto!" Dedede said. "And as soon as I get the Star Rod of this world, I'll be the most powerful thing on Dreamland."

"The only problem with that King is that only one with a pure heart can retrieve the Star Rod." The N.M.E. salesman pointed out.

"You just let me worry about that!" Dedede snapped. "That's were you come in Ms Tiffy."

Dedede began manically laughing. The salesman then turned to a shadow in the corner of the dark room.

"Sir!" He said to the shadow. "He took the bait! Soon, we'll take over Dreamland with the heartless."

The shadow in the corner also started to laugh manically and the salesman left the room.

**To Be Continued...**


	18. A Knight to Remember Part II

**Chapter XVII: A "Knight" to Remember Part II**

Luigi and the kids walked through the fields of Dreamland looking for the keyhole. They began their search at the Green Greens area. As always the heartless attacked, coming at them in numbers. Sora used a cool new move known as "Stun Impact" which created a giant red energy wave that paralyzed any heartless in his track. Luigi used F.L.U.U.D to shoot waves at the bad guys. Yoshi also learned a new move called "Evolution" which also allowed him to recover his allies in battle. Kirby also sucked up the monsters with his mouth and spat them back out at others. Kirby also absorbed a Red Space Pirate which transformed him into Fire Kirby.

"I've never seen anyone copy abilities like that before." Sora said impressed.

"Kirby has a ton of different abilities he can use." Tiff said. "He sends them right back at 'em."

Kirby shot a giant fire wave at a group of the heartless destroying them easily. Everyone cheered for the little pink puff ball as he destroyed them. Yoshi became jealous again.

"_Yoshi can do way better then Kirby." _Yoshi thought with a grumble.

"Nice job, Kirby!" Tuff cheered. "You sure showed those losers!"

Kirby burped from eating the large amounts of heartless and giggled. Luigi slid his back down a tree and sighed.

"Tired, tortellini." He sighed. "That keyhole could be anywhere."

"He's got a point." Sora agreed. "That keyhole could be anywhere in this world."

"Well, Sora." Tiff began. "Do any kind of strange things happen when you look for this keyhole?"

"My keyblade seems to respond to it when we're close by." Sora said turning to Tiff. Just then, his keyblade began glowing. "Hey, guys! I think we're on to something! My keyblade is responding!" The keyblade pointed to the left of the area.

"Hey!" Tuff cried. "It's coming from Whispy Woods!"

"Then let's go!"

"Hold on!" Tiff said stopping everyone. "Whispy Woods can be dangerous if you're not careful. "We'll guide you through it."

"Kid, danger is my middle name." Luigi laughed proudly. "I don't need any help. I'll go in there and find that keyhole faster then you can say mozzarella milkshake." Luigi turned to leave. "Come on! Let's go!"

Luigi, Yoshi, and Kirby left to head towards Whispy Woods while leaving a confused Sora, Tiff, and Tuff.

"What's a mozzarella milkshake?" Tuff asked Sora.

"Easy. You mix mozzarella sticks in a blender and voila!" Sora explained with a chuckle. "

"Ew! Gross!"

The kids then started laughing just thinking about it.

"Just picture that combination!" Tiff giggled.

"You sound a bit better." Sora said to Tiff.

"Well, I guess this adventuring took my mind off my dad for a little while." Tiff told Sora. "I'm glad you and your friends came to Cappy Town, Sora."

"Thanks." Sora blushed. "Come on! Let's go to Whispy Woods!"

The kids headed off and caught up with the others. As they left, two figures were watching them. Those figures were Fololo and Falala. They turned to each other and nodded. Unknown to them, a mysterious figure was also watching. He was about the same size as Kirby. He wore a giant blue cape in the back and had on a white mask over his face. He muttered something in his foreign accent.

"We shall fight soon." He muttered.

He walked away as his cape blew in the wind. Sora's group arrived at the entrance to Whispy Woods where they met a old purple owl.

"Greeting Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby." He said. "Glad to see you. What brings you to Whispy Woods?"

"We're looking for something called a keyhole, Coo." Tiff said. "Have you seen one around?"

"Hm, not a keyhole, but something very strange." Coo responded. "It was something of some value."

"Whatever it was, where did you see it?" Sora asked in a excited tone. "Cause we'll take any lead to finding the keyhole!"

"Goodness, calm down young man!" Coo cried. "It was right by Whispy Woods himself."

"Wait a minute!" Luigi asked puzzled. "There's a guy named Whispy Woods with the same name?"

"Well, Whispy Woods is a tree and the ruler of the woods." Tuff explained.

"Since when do trees rule over something?"

"Luigi, since I've been visiting all these worlds, I've learned that anything is possible." Sora whispered.

"You got a point kid." Luigi nodded.

"Heed my warning though." Coo said in a eerie voice. "He hasn't been the same ever since those dark creatures appeared. He might strike you when you least expect it."

"Oh, no." Yoshi whimpered. Yoshi then stopped and thought about something. _"Wait one minute! This might be chance to proof to everyone that Yoshi better then Kirby." _Yoshi made a brave look in his eyes. "Stand back! Yoshi afraid of no tree! Yoshi find item and be back before Yoshi can say dinner!"

Yoshi ran into the woods leaving a baffled Sora.

"Yoshi?" Sora baffled. "I've never seen him act so strange before."

Kirby followed Yoshi into the woods.

"Kirby! Come back here!" Tiff called to her friend. "We have to go after them!"

"Okay!" Sora nodded.

The kids ran into the woods leaving a nervous Luigi.

"Um, I'll just wait out here and admire the beautiful scenery of Dreamland." Luigi said nervously.

Sora came out and grabbed Luigi by the back.

"Come on, Mr. Dangerous." Sora groaned grabbing Luigi.

The group ran through Whispy Woods calling out their friends name. Coo just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This young generation." He sighed. "Never thinks, just always acts!"

They searched high and low everywhere in the forest. They finally arrived at a middle part of the woods where they saw Kirby standing next to a frightened Yoshi. He had his eyes closed and was down on the floor.

"Thank goodness they're all right." Tiff sighed. She ran over to Kirby and hugged him. She then turned to see Yoshi shaking. "Whoa! I guess Yoshi got too scared in here. But luckily, Kirby was brave enough to help out."

Yoshi looked up and blushed. "Aw, Yoshi just pretending to be scared. Yoshi just do it keep Kirby entertained because Kirby was scared."

"Funny, but I noticed that you were the one who was scared." Luigi smirked.

"Was not!" Yoshi argued.

"Was too!" Luigi argued back.

Sora shook his head slowly and then turned to Tiff. "So, where can we find Whispy Woods?"

"He shouldn't be too far from here." Tiff said thinking for a second. "Let's try taking..."

Just then, tree roots came out of the ground surrounding our heros like a cage. Luigi and Yoshi embraced each other.

"Oh, Yoshi sorry." Yoshi whimpered.

"Me too, kid." Luigi said.

Sora got his keyblade out ready to fight and Kirby joined him.

"Who dares disturb my neck of the woods?" Called a giant voice.

"Boy, this guy's got more bark then his bite." Luigi joked. "Get it? Bark? Bite?"

"Silence!" The voice shouted.

Luigi jumped into Yoshi's arms screaming.

"Whispy?" Tiff asked curiously. "Is that you?"

"Who are you and why have you come here?" The voice roared.

The group turned to see a tree with a face looking down at them.

"That must be Whispy Woods." Sora gulped.

"Ya figure kid?" Luigi groaned.

"Whispy? Don't you recognize us?" Tiff asked in surprise.

"The only thing familiar about you is that you're a brat on my territory." Whispy responded. "And you punks are going to have to be destroyed."

"Let's take him down!" Sora cried.

"Wait!" Tuff shouted. "Whispy may be acting weird, but he's still our friend. Don't hurt him."

"Okay, we'll let him pound us into an early grave." Luigi said sarcastically. "That sounds like fun."

"He doesn't mean it like that!" Tiff snapped at Luigi. "Maybe he's under some sort of spell."

"If he is, then how can we break it?" Sora wondered. He then looked to notice something glowing behind Whispy. "What is that?"

"Maybe it what making Whispy kooky." Yoshi assumed.

"Then I'll go for it!" Sora said bravely. "It might be our only chance!" He then turned to Kirby, Luigi, and Yoshi. "You three distract him!"

The three nodded and got ready.

"Be careful, Sora." Tiff said worryingly.

Sora nodded and then charged at Whispy with Kirby, Luigi, and Yoshi. Whispy shot white wind objects out his mouth which the group dodged. He also shook his leaves which caused apples to fall. Kirby and Yoshi ate the apples and spat them right back at Whispy. Luigi sucked up the apples and also knocked them back. Sora dove right past Whispy Woods and got behind him to see a glowing star. Sora picked it up and looked at it funny.

"Where have I seen this before?" Sora asked himself. Shrugging it aside, he pocketed it and rejoined his friends, hoping that the spell was broken. "Did it work?"

"Take a look for yourself." Luigi gulped.

Sora noticed that Whispy Woods was making an evil glare at them.

"I'll take that as a no." Sora gulped.

"Well, I'm making like a tree and getting my butt out of here." Luigi said nervously.

"Luigi!" Sora groaned. "It's leave! It's make like a tree and leave! You sound like an idiot saying that!"

"Whatever!" Luigi said grabbing Sora. "Let's just get out of here!"

Luigi pulled Sora out of the area and Kirby followed.

"What about Whispy?"

"Forget it, sis." Tuff said grabbing his sister's hand. "Let's just get out here!"

The group ran leaving Yoshi behind.

"Yoshi no scared!" Yoshi cried bravely. "Yoshi big, brave..." He then noticed Whispy growling at him causing him to gulp. "...coward." He ran through the woods and caught up with his friends.

Moments later, they arrived out of Whispy Woods and stopped to catch their breath. Coo approached them concerned.

"Are you all right children?" Coo asked concerned. "I could hear you run all the way from the woods."

"We're fine, Coo." Tiff sighed. "You were right about Whispy though. He has been acting weird. Just like dad, I wonder why he's been so grouchy?"

"Beats me." Tuff shrugged.

"Goyo?" Kirby said blinking in confusion.

Sora hugged Yoshi tightly. "Yoshi! What happened back there? I was so scared! I thought I lost you!"

"Yoshi sorry, but..."

"Kid, you scared us!" Luigi snapped at Yoshi. "We thought you got hurt or worse..killed. Don't ever wonder off like that unless me and Sora are with you."

"I sorry." Yoshi said sadly.

"Don't be so hard on him Luigi." Sora said turning his head to Luigi. "He's a baby. This was a first for him." He pulled away from Yoshi and put his hands on Yoshi's shoulders talking to him softly. "Just don't wonder off by yourself again unless you're with a grownup or myself okay?"

"Okay." Yoshi nodded. He then licked Sora's face. "I promise."

"Sora, did you find out what that thing behind Whispy was?" Tiff called to Sora. Sora went through his pocket and pulled out the glowing star. He handed it to Tiff who observed it.

"Where have I seen this before?" Tiff asked curiously.

Kirby took the star out of her hand and looked at it. He smiled and then ran away into the fields.

"Kirby!" Tuff cried. "Come on!"

The gang left and chased after Kirby again. Coo was left in confusion.

"Did I miss something here?" The old bird asked, slightly tilting his head.

The gang ran back the same direction they first came in. Kirby was far ahead leaving everyone else in the dust.

"Man, this kid should enter the Olympics." Luigi panted. "Where is he leading us?"

"I think we're heading back to the castle." Tiff assumed. "It looks like Kirby may know what to do with that."

"Wow, he's pretty smart." Sora said impressed. "He has a good instinct. Not bad for a little guy."

Yoshi grumbled growing jealous of Kirby again. Kirby and the gang were almost to castle Dedede when Kirby stopped and looked strangely at a tree.

"Kirby?" Tiff asked concerned. "What's wrong?" Tiff turned in the direction of where Kirby was looking and saw they mysterious capped figure walk out of the shadows.

He looked at the group with his glowing eyes. He didn't pay attention to Kirby's group but stared at Sora.

"So." He said in his foreign accent. "It's true then."

"Hey! It's Meta Knight!" Tuff said happily. "What's up?"

"You know this guy?" Luigi said turning to Tuff.

"Yeah. You see Meta Knight is a Star Warrior like Kirby." Tiff explained. "He came from another world after battling a monster named ENeME and with Sword and Blade, they pretended to offer their services to Dedede."

"So you came from another world?" Sora gasped to Meta Knight. Meta Knight simply nodded causing Sora to whisper in Luigi's ear. "See! They know he's from another world. So why can't we tell where we're from?"

"Kid, this guy is young and foolish." Luigi responded. "He obviously doesn't follow the rules of the world order. We however are smart and play it safe."

"Why are you here?" Tiff asked turning to Meta Knight. "Do you know why those black creatures are attacking?"

"It is ENeME's vile handy work." Meta Knight responded. "They are sending these creatures here. I have feared that this day would have come. Soon he might strike and Dreamland will be in grave danger."

"Don't worry." Tiff smiled proudly. "Kirby will take care of them!"

"Yeah! He's one bad dude!" Tuff cheered.

"Goyo!" Kirby cheered.

"I'm afraid it is not that simple." Meta Knight said shaking his head. "As you know, thousands of us battled against him, but we couldn't even win. I was the only surviving one."

"This guy must be brutal." Sora assumed.

"Yes, but he is more powerful now because of this darkness." Meta Knight continued. He then took out a golden sword with wavy edges. "That's why I must test the power of the one who holds the key. To see if he can defeat it."

"You wanna fight me?" Sora said.

"Meta Knight?" Tiff asked in surprise. "But..."

"En garde!" He cried charging at Sora. He thrust at Sora who spun out of the way.

Sora took his keyblade out and slashed at Meta Knight who deflected the attack away. Sora clashed with Meta Knight rapidly attacking. Meta Knight blocked the attacks with his sword. He then swiped at Sora's feet who jumped up and over the attack landing behind him. Sora sent a kick at Meta Knight who blocked it with his right arm and pushed it up flipping Sora over who landed on his feet. Meta Knight and Sora rapidly clashed again, attacking and dodging through the rapid sword fight. Luigi and the others followed as they began moving away from them. Meta Knight jumped up and sent flying kicks at Sora who blocked them with one arm. Meta Knight brought his sword down and Sora did a one-handed cartwheel to avoid the attack. Sora attacked with a vertical swipe but Meta Knight did a one-handed back flip over the attack. Sora attacked and Meta Knight clashed again. They both struggled with each other and then both jumped back.

"Wow!" Tuff cried. "Sora's good!"

"Impressive." Meta Knight said. "Your spirt is strong my friend. But your feet are big."

"For that, you're going down big time." Sora said insulted.

Meta Knight fired green blade waves which Sora dodged. Sora then charged at Meta Knight and attacked causing him to jump over the attack. Meta Knight spun his body and swung his sword vertically at Sora like a chainsaw. Sora bent his back and narrowly missed the attack. Meta Knight kicked against a tree and flew back at Sora. Our hero did a back flip over Meta Knight's attack and landed on the ground. Meta Knight and Sora clashed again causing sparks to fly from their attacks. It seemed like the fight could last forever when Sora finally knocked the sword out of Meta Knight's hand which caused him to fall back. Sora grabbed the sword and pointed it at Meta Knight.

"Give up?" Sora smirked.

"I...I...surrender." He groaned.

"Whoa! He really is good." Tiff said amazed. "Kirby could barely stand up against Meta Knight and Sora just took him down without even getting hit.."

"Well...this kid likes to fight a lot." Luigi said. "He was only warming up against your friend."

"Cool." Tiff and Tuff said together.

Sora handed the sword to Meta Knight who stood up.

"You truly are a great fighter." Meta Knight said impressed. "And a good sport as well.

"You too." Sora nodded. "That was fun."

"But I'm afraid this is a serious matter." Meta Knight pointed out. "You may have the strength to put a stop to ENeME. We can only hope."

"Okay." Sora said confused. "Whatever you say I guess."

"Look!" Tuff cried. "Kirby ran off!"

And sure enough, Kirby did run off.

"We have to go Meta Knight." Tiff said. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm fine but it's the citizens of Dreamland that I'm worried about." Meta Knight responded. "I'm also questioning your father as well. He hasn't been himself."

"I know." Tiff agreed. "He's..."

"Come on, sis!" Tuff called to his sister. "Kirby's getting away!"

"We'll see you later Meta Knight." Tiff said with a smile.

Tiff ran to catch up with her friends leaving Meta Knight behind. He turned away from the castle and left.

"I must go see that the Fountain of Dreams hasn't been overrun by the heartless." Meta Knight said to himself.

He then left in the shadows. Sora's group returned back to Castle Dedede where they saw Kirby enter through the back entrance. The group followed until they reached the secret room that Tiff showed them a while ago.

"I wonder why he led us back here." Sora wondered.

"I'm not sure." Luigi shrugged.

Kirby walked into the room with the star and the others followed. Kirby jumped up and down pointing at a star symbol which was engraved on the wall.

"I get it!" Tiff exclaimed. "Kirby must think that the star goes on that engravement."

"Try and see what happen." Yoshi said.

Tiff took the star and put it on the engravement. At first nothing happens, but then it started glowing. The group looked at it with oohs and awes. Just then, the door slammed open and the gang turned to see a very upset Sir Ebrum with the twins.

"Dad!" Tuff cried nervously. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"And how did you find out about this place?" Tiff added suspiciously.

"Fololo and Falala told me." Ebrum responded.

Tiff gasped and sadly looked at the twins. "How could you?"

The twins made guilty looks at their friend. "We're sorry, Tiff."

"You don't have to be sorry." Ebrum said. "You had the right to tell me. Tiff, you disobeyed me again! I told you not to leave the castle!"

"It wasn't her fault!" Luigi said. "It was..."

Kirby sadly walked forward and put his head down.

"So, you were the one who put my daughter in grave danger Kirby?" Ebrum asked. Kirby sadly nodded. "Then get out of my sight! I don't want your pink face around my daughter anymore!"

Kirby walked out of the room sadly.

"Kirby!" Tiff said with tears streaming down her face. "Daddy! Why?"

"I'm doing it for your own safety." Ebrum said

"My own safety?" Tiff scoffed. "You're tearing my friends away from me and you call that safety?"

Before Ebrum could respond, he saw the crystal star on the wall. "And what is that?"

"It's this weird crystal star we found." Tuff said.

Ebrum walked over to it and then without speaking grabbed it and was ready to throw it.

"Daddy, no!" Tiff cried. Ebrum smashed the star onto the ground sending it into pieces. Tiff looked at the smashed crystal star and then broke into tears. "Why are you doing this to me?"

She ran out of the room crying and Tuff followed.

"Sis, wait up!" Tuff said.

"I draw the line from here!" Sora said angrily. "What right do you have to treat your daughter like this? She told me that you would trust her with your life. Obviously, Tiff understands the dangers, but I'm sure she would have proceeded with caution. Besides, it wasn't Kirby's fault, but even if it was, you shouldn't just ban him from seeing Tiff. It was our fault for letting her out of the castle."

"It was?" Luigi asked giving Sora a double look.

"Young man, I would call your parents but it would be too long of a distance to reach them." Ebrum responded.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You're not from Ice Cream Mountain. Aren't you?" Ebrum said. "You're not even a resident of Dreamland. You're from another world!" The trio gasped upon hearing that. "And you lad must be the key bearer."

"But how did you know?" Sora asked in surprise.

"I've seen hundreds of other world visitors and those Cappy disguise aren't exactly fitting." Ebrum said commenting on the group's present form. "Including the one with the big nose." Yoshi growled at Ebrum and turned away. "You can't fool old Ebrum. As the key bearer, you must already know that one should not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"Trust me, I hear that all the time." Sora said referring to Luigi. "But still..."

"I am the Court Official and I know all the laws." Ebrum interrupted. "You have violated this principle. The only thing a key bearer can bring is chaos and destruction. You were the one who was endangering my children and our homes."

"Sora not like that." Yoshi protested. "Sora stop bad guys."

"He even saved a bunch of worlds mister!" Luigi added. "So you can't assume anything."

"That's quite enough." Ebrum snapped. "The law is the law. I thank you kindly for protecting my children. But there is no room for you or that giant key."

Ebrum walked out the door leaving a concerned Sora who was looking at his keyblade.

"Do I really cause destruction?" Sora asked Luigi.

"No, Sora." Luigi said softly patting his friend's back. "You've done too many great things already. You brought piece to Isle Delfino and cleared my brother's good name. You've given the Kongs a good-nights sleep because they don't have to worry about the Crystal Coconut as much. With Ganondorf out of power, the people of Hyrule can build a new and better world. There's just that one person out there who has a different opinion. Not everyone is going to agree with what you're doing. Even I don't agree with the fact that we've been meddling in the affairs of other worlds, but we have no chose in the matter. Why don't we just get out of here then?"

"But I want to make sure Tiff and Kirby are okay." Sora said.

"Listen, we've gotten into enough trouble already." Luigi pointed out. "Let's just go while we still have a chance. Come on, Yoshi." Yoshi nodded and left the room. "Stay around if you want kid. It's really not my problem."

"No, no." Sora sighed. "I'll come."

The trio left the room in silence. Meanwhile, Kirby was sitting on a tree stump alone looking up at the sky. He knew that he would never be able to see Tiff again. It brought back memories of when he first met her, how he saved her life when she fell from a cliff, how she hid him from King Dedede's goons, how they used to play skip rope. As Kirby walked through the fields of Dreamland he saw a spot where Tiff and the entire town of Cappy Town helped build him his very own tree house. As he entered a little half egg-shaped house he remembered how she also built this house for him. As he laid down on his bed his mind wondered off into memory lane. He remembered when she got him a toy pet and of course he remembered that only someone who loved him could hold onto his warpstar. And that someone was named Tiff. He sadly got out of bed upon hearing a knock at his door. He answered it to see Escargoon looking down at him. Next to him was Sword and Blade who had some weird collars around their necks. Kirby tried to run but Escargoon grabbed him and put him in a bag.

"Nice try, pinkie." Escargoon said. "But his highness requires your presence at once." He then gave the bag to Sword. "Take him to the throne room."

"Yes sir." The Knights said.

The three then proceeded back to the castle. They finally arrived moments later to see Dedede waiting for them with a gleeful look.

"Good, you guys got him." Dedede smirked. "Bring him to the throne room."

The Knights bring the bag into the throne room and place it on the ground. Kirby jumped out of the back and looked around curiously. He then saw that Dedede was approaching.

"Goyo?" Kirby said slightly confused.

"Kirby my dear friend." Dedede said in a nice tone. "How are you buddy? Hungry? I could get you some food." Kirby shook his head. "No? Well, I overheard your dilemma and you could use some help."

"What?" Escargoon exclaimed. "You're actually going to..."

Dedede then smacked Escargoon aside. "Quite, numbskull!" He then turned back to Kirby. "Sorry about that. So, your little friend Tiff wants to see other worlds with you, right?" Kirby nodded. "Well, I could make that arraignment. As King, I do what I want, when I want and how I want. Besides you, Meta Knight, these two gents Sword and Blade came from another world. As well as your new friends who just came to Cappy Town."

Kirby gasped realizing that Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi weren't from Dreamland at all, but from another world.

"So, we can help you Kirby." Sword said. "But your going to have to act for us."

Kirby then looked at King Dedede with a look telling he didn't trust the big king.

"You don't trust me?" Dedede asked. "I've turned over a new leaf Kirby. From now on I'm going help those in need. And if you want to help Tiff then you'll do it."

Kirby hesitated at first, but then complied and left with the greedy King. Meanwhile, Tiff was in her room crying on her bed. She sadly looked up and sniffled her tears away. She sat up on her bed and looked out the window.

"Kirby, if only I could see you one last time." She sniffled. Just then, the door opened and Kirby walked in. "Kirby!" She ran over to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're here! But you need to get out of here before my dad comes back."

Outside of her room was Dedede and Escargoon with sustained giggles and laughs.

"Escargoon, you ready for operation get-me-the-star-rod-faster-then-you-could-say-turkey dinner?" King Dedede whispered.

"Um, sire...don't you think the name is a bit long?" Escargoon whispered back. Dedede then conked him on the head. "I'll take that as a no."

"Now pudding head!" Dedede shouted at him.

Escargoon projected his voice towards Kirby and talked in a cute voice. "Don't worry Tiff, everything is going to be okay."

Tiff gasped upon hearing Escargoon speak. "Kirby! Was that you?"

Knowing what was going on, Kirby mouthed what Escargoon said. "Yes, it was I Kirby."

"Oh, Kirby!" She cried hugging Kirby. "You finally spoke!" She then curiously then pulled away. "How can you speak perfect English?"

"Um, well, I was studying the way everyone spoke and finally I understood it." Escargoon said.

"But why are you here?" Tiff asked.

"Because I can take you away from all the pain." Escargoon responded. "Away from your father, away from that good looking snail Escargoon and away from that fat tub of lard Dedede." Dedede then bonked him on the head with his mallet. "Ow!"

"Kirby, why are you saying ow?"

"Oh, um, I got heartburn from that tomato I had this morning." Escargoon chuckled.

"_Since when does Kirby get heartburn from eating food?" _Tiff thought. "But how can you take me away from Dreamland? That fruit for brains Dedede destroyed your ship. Remember?"

"Fruit for brains?" Dedede hissed. "Why that little..."

"Calm down, crowny!" Escargoon whispered. "We'll get her later." He then projected his voice again. "Anything is possible Tiff. Besides, our new friends came from another world."

"What?" Tiff gasped. "Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi are from another world, too?" Kirby then nodded. She was in shock that those three Cappy creatures were in fact visitors from another world as well. Usually, Tiff would have used her good judgement to decline the offer, but with everything that has happened she was ready for a change in her life. "Kirby, tell me what we have to do."

"I'll explain on the way to the Fountain of Dreams." Escargoon said.

Kirby and Tiff left the room with the while the villains ran ahead. Sora's group were on their way to the Toad Express. Sora was still concerned about his new friends but slowly began to rub it off. As they finally reached Cappy Town, they heard a familiar voice.

"So, giving up already chico?" Called a foreign accent. Sora's group turned to see Meta Knight in front of them.

"Meta-Knight?" Luigi said jumping in surprise. "What do you want now?"

"I'm afraid the darkness has gotten worse since you have left the castle." Meta Knight responded. "Soon, ENeME will strike unless we don't stop..."

"It's not our concern." Luigi disagreed. "You and I both know that we can't meddle in the affairs of other worlds. It's a rule!"

"Si, you are right about that, but rules can be bent." Meta Knight nodded. "The keyblade master who defeated me is backing down from a challenge?"

"I'd never do that!" Sora said bravely.

"Sora never quit!" Yoshi agreed.

"As the one who must defeat the heartless, it is your destiny." Meta Knight said. "You must also seal the keyhole to bring peace. And because of those heartless, they manipulated Sir Ebrum and King Dedede."

"I knew it!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sir Ebrum is the nicest person I've ever met." Meta Knight continued. "He would never have been so mean to his daughter. He puts one-hundred percent trust in her."

"How do you know all this?" Luigi asked curiously. "I mean about the heartless, the keyblade, and the keyhole?"

"Because your brother told me this." Meta Knight.

The trio was shocked upon hearing what Meta Knight said.

"You know my brother?"

"Yes." Meta Knight nodded. "Awhile back, we have discovered that ENeME was working for a force higher then himself. Sword, Blade, and myself traveled to other worlds in search of a man named Ansem who may have known something. I've heard stories about this legendary ruler and hoped we could speak with him. Our travels brought us to a place called Isle Delfino where the creatures you call the heartless ambushed us. We fought with all our heart but we couldn't defeat them. We were a glimpse away from our demise when this Italian man with blue overalls saved us."

"That's my brother all right." Luigi chuckled. "The pasta pulverizing plumber!"

"What does pasta have to do with anything?" Sora asked Luigi.

"Kid! Pasta has to do with everything!" Luigi snapped.

"We were in his debt, a debt that could not be repaid." Meta Knight continued ignoring the argument. "He told us about the keyblade and the keyhole. That's when I knew that the only way we could stand a chance against the heartless was to find this keyblade." He then bowed his head before Sora. "Please keyblade master. Please bring an end to ENeME and protect the ones I love. Young Tiff and Kirby have shown me something no one has ever shown me before. Friendship! I've never admitted this but they're like family to me. I wish not to lose then nor Sword and Blade."

Sora turned to his group. "Well, guys?"

"Why not?" Luigi nodded with a smile.

"Yoshi rock and roll!" Yoshi cheered.

"You can count on us." Sora smiled.

"Thank you my friends." Meta Knight said softly. "There's no time! Kirby and Tiff are in danger as we speak. Dedede is leading them into his hands. We have to get over to the Fountain of Dreams!"

"Then let's do it!" Sora cried.

Sora's group and Meta Knight left together and headed to the Fountain of Dreams, hoping they were not too late.

**To Be Concluded...**


	19. A Nightmare on Dream Street Part III

**Chapter XVIII: A Nightmare on Dream Street Part III**

Sora's group along with Meta-Knight made their way to the Fountain of Dreams. Once again, the heartless came at them in numbers. Sora attacked a few with his keyblade knocking them out of the way. Meta-Knight fired powerful energy waves from his sword which sliced them in half.

"How much further?" Sora asked Meta Knight as running.

"Not too far." Meta Knight responded. "We can only hope that the king hasn't gotten to the fountain yet. If he gets the Star Rod..."

"Hold the phone!" Luigi exclaimed. Everyone then stopped and turned to him. "That can't be right! The same Star Rod of my world?"

"No." Meta Knight said shaking his head. "I am aware of the Star Rod of your world. Your brother told me that there was one Star Rod but then it spilt into two. This happened when all worlds were first created. One half of the power was created from the world of dreams, while the other half created from the world of wishes. However, too many greedy people wanted the power and if it fell into the wrong hands, unpredictable things would happen from both worlds. Thus the Star Rod was separated into two. The Star Rod was kept in Dreamland and guarded by Star Warriors who received Warp Stars from the rods power. Seven star spirts guarded the Star Rod of your world. That same one that was stolen by King Bowser is twice as powerful as the one here."

"But how?" Yoshi asked curiously.

"That one was created from the power of wishes." Sora theorized. "So, Bowser could wish for anything he wants while I'm guessing the one of this world may effect your dreams."

"Correct." Meta Knight nodded. "This won't just effect us, but every other world as well. If ENeME gets his hands on the Star Rod we'll be in grave danger. Dedede is simply the puppet in ENeME and Bowser's plot."

"Then why Tiff and Kirby involve?" Yoshi said confused.

"Because only one with a pure heart can release the Star Rod from it's current location. "Meta Knight responded. "I'm not sure why Kirby's involved or why Tiff would ever fall for something pulled by the king but..." He then gasped. "Of course! Dedede must be using Kirby as bait to lure Tiff into his hands." He then ran off. "Hurry! We're running out of time!"

The group left for the Fountain of Dreams in a hurry. Meanwhile, Tiff and Kirby arrived at the Fountain of Dreams with Dedede and Escargoon hiding behind a bush.

"Kirby, are you sure about this?" Tiff asked Kirby nervously. "I heard that bad things will happen if we take the Star Rod off."

"Okay, Escargoon!" Dedede commanded. "Project your voice." Dedede waited a moment but there was no responded. "Escargoon!" He then heard snoring and turned to see the black hearted snail asleep. "Wake up you ninny!" He then conked Escargoon on the head.

Escargoon woke up and rubbed his. "Ouch! Sorry, crowny. Guess I dose off."

"Yeah? Well stop nappin and get yappin!"

Escargoon then projected his voice into the cute voice. "I'm sure Tiff. Just pull the Star Rod off of the Fountain of Dreams and may all of your dreams come true."

"Okay." Tiff said quietly. As she walked up to the fountain she could hear a voice in her head telling her to stop but she simply whisked it aside. As she reached the top of the fountain she looked at the Star Rod. Similar to the one the evil Koopa King had, the only difference was it had pink and white stripes. "It sure is beautiful." She slowly reached for it and looked around cautiously. She then pulled it out and held it in the sky. "I did it, Kirby!" Just then, the heartless appeared around her causing her to gasp. "Oh, no! Kirby help!"

Kirby bravely ran to help his friend but he then got wacked in the head by Dedede's mallet. Tiff gasped in horror upon seeing her friend faint from the attack.

"Well done, Ms. Tiffy." Dedede laughed. "You served your purpose pretty well."

"Dedede!" Tiff cried upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking what's mine." The King responded. One of the shadows grabbed the Star Rod from Tiff's hands and presented it to the evil king who laughed. "Finally, with the Star Rod in my hand, I can finally get the respect I deserve and it's all because of you."

"What did I do?" Tiff said with a shocked look.

"You gave us the Star Rod honey." Escargoon said slithering out from behind the bushes with the cute voice.

Tiff gasped in horror upon realizing what just happened. "No! Out of all people, how did deceive me?"

"It was too easy." Dedede laughed. "With your dear old daddy giving you all these strict orders, I knew that the stress would go to your head. So, with Kirby as part of the plan, I would get you to personally hand me the Star Rod and I thank you my dear."

"How could I've let this happen?" Tiff said putting her hands on her eyes. "Because of me, Dreamland is in grave danger."

"And now with the Star Rod in hand I shall finally rid myself of Kirby once and for all." Dedede said excitedly. He then turned to Escargoon. "Find that keyhole Escargoon." Escargoon nodded and left. Dedede fired a star out of the rod which hit Kirby sending him flying into the fountain. Kirby weakly got up and charged at the king.

Kirby sent a flying kick at Dedede who grabbed him and threw him down. Kirby bounced up from the attack and Dedede shot a giant white beam at Kirby sending him flying into to air and landed back down on the ground. Kirby weakly looked up at the king who smirked. Everything went blurry to him and soon enough he fainted. Dedede was about to deliver the finishing blow when Sir Ebrum grabbed his giant arm. Tiff gasped happily upon seeing her father.

"Daddy!" She cried.

"Get off me you old fool!" Dedede grunted. He grabbed Ebrum and smacked him aside into the fountain. Tiff ran to her father and embraced him in fear.

"Daddy, I'm sorry." She said sobbing. "I...I..."

"Don't worry about it Tiff." Her father replied with a weak smile. "I'm sorry I yelled child. I found out that a monster was tampering with my emotions. I always trust you darling and I love you. No matter what happens to us, you'll always be my daughter. The best daughter a father could ever ask for."

Tiff hugged her father and sniffled.

"I'll deal with pinky after." Dedede said to himself turning to Tiff and Ebrum. "Ebrum, how did you escape my monster?"

"Funny think old chap is that the monster hates classical music." Ebrum chortled weakly. "But you have gone too far this time!"

"Bah, it's no matter." Dedede said shrugging the monster aside. "You can't stop me now. If Kirby can't stop me then who can?"

"All of us!" Called a voice.

Dedede turned to an angry mob of Cappies with Lady Like, Tuff, and the twins standing in front of them.

"Mom! Tuff! Fololo! Falala!" Tiff said excitedly. "You came!"

"We're always here for ya sis." Tuff called to his sister. "We're going to help fight against Dedede."

Dedede then broke into laughter. "You're going to do that? Pathetic! You fools can't defeat me now." He then sent a wave at the Cappies knocking them down. He then turned back to Tiff. "Now girly, you want to see other worlds, right? Well, prepare for a one-way trip to the world of the heartless."

"Um, sire." Escargoon gulped nervously. "The keyhole isn't here."

"IT'S NOT!" Dedede shouted angrily grabbing Escargoon by the neck. "What do you mean? It's suppose to be here! My calculation..."

"Sire, you don't even know what the word calculation means." Escargoon groaned rolling his eyes. "You made a mistake, big time."

"I never make a mistake!" Dedede snarled. "I know for a fact that..." He then stopped upon hearing running footsteps. He turned to see Sora and the gang enter. "Great, just when things are starting to look good. You're a bit late boy, so why don't you turn back now? You can't beat me! Escargoon, to the tank!"

The bad guys quickly ran away and got into a mini tank that had the colors of Dedede's robe on it.

"I still can't believe you kept this thing after getting that limo." Escargoon said surprised.

The bad guys got into the tank and drove away. Sora ran up to the fountain of dreams and looked up.

"We're too late." Sora said disappointed. "He got the Star Rod."

Meta-Knight left in the shadows and his cape blew up. Luigi saw Kirby on the ground and ran over to him.

"Holy, ravioli!" Luigi cried. "This little guy took quite a beating." He took out an Elixir and helped Kirby drink it.

Sora ran over to Tiff and Sir Ebrum who were still in the fountain. "Man, are you guys alright?"

"We're fine lad." Ebrum said weakly. "I'm sorry about the way I've been acting."

"It's okay sir." Sora responded warmly. "We know that you were manipulated by the goons and that is why we stayed. We just had to help and we'd risk the rule of the world order to save you guys."

"Thank you Sora." Tiff said happily. Tiff kissed Sora on the cheek causing him to blush. "How did you guys find us?

"Meta-Knight told us."

"Meta Knight gone!" Yoshi exclaimed.

Sora turned to notice that Meta Knight was no where in sight. "I wonder where he went?"

Luigi finally revived Kirby. Upon waking up he ran over to Sora and jumped into his arms

"Kirby! You're okay!" Sora cheered.

Yoshi grumbled a bit again but then got back on topic.

"What happened here?" Yoshi asked Tiff.

Tiff explained to Sora's group what happened from Dedede tricking her to Kirby fighting Dedede..

"So, that big tub of lard tricked you into coming here." Luigi said.

"Yeah." Tiff nodded. "He's become more powerful now that he has the Star Rod in his hands. I usually never get tricked like that."

"Well kid, there's a first for everything." Luigi sighed.

"Oh, dear." Lady Like shrieked. "That terrible king! I knew he was up to something!"

"We must get the Star Rod back before the citizens of Dreamland begin having nightmares." Ebrum announced.

"I'll take care of them." Chief Bookem volunteered "I'll lock em up and throw away the key."

"Forget it Bookem." The mayor chortled. "You can barley handle traffic control."

"I resent that!" Bookem snapped.

"We'll deal with Dedede." Sora told Sir Ebrum. "We're the only ones who can stop him now!"

"Thank you child." Ebrum nodded in response. "Words alone can describe how much you've done for us already. Please be careful."

"Let's go guys." Sora told his party. The trio began to leave but Kirby stopped them. "Kirby?" Kirby made a serious look and jumped up. "I think he wants to come with us."

"But why?"

"Because he feels like he did something wrong." Tiff explained coming in. "He may be like an infant but he still knows when he did something wrong...just like me. I'm coming too. This is all our fault! We have to stop Dedede. And don't try stop me Luigi."

"But your dad..." Luigi began.

"Oh, I don't mind." Ebrum smiled. "Tiff could come up with some battle strategies for your victory against the king."

"Yeah!" The twins said together. "We'll help too. We're behind you all the way!"

"Count me in as well!" Tuff added.

Luigi put his hands in his pockets and grumbled to himself. "I liked the other Ebrum better."

"Then we'll all fight as one!" Sora cheered.

Luigi and the other kids also cheered.

"And young ones." Ebrum said stopping everyone. "The only way to weaken the power of the Star Rod is to hit it with magic spells."

"You got it!" Sora nodded. "That gives myself and Luigi an edge! Let's do it!"

Our heros headed towards Castle Dedede while everyone but Lady Like, Ebrum, and Chief Bookem left.

"Chief, could you watch over the fountain until those kids get back?" Lady Like pleaded. "I need to get my poor Ebrum to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted.

Lady Like helped get her husband back home while Bookem watched over the fountain, unaware that a weird shadow has crept it's way into the fountain. Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Kirby along with Tiff's group made their way to the castle. During the time they traveled, Sora found a group of the Pikmin but when they tried to run, Kirby sucked them up and gave them to Sora. (After searching through that bottomless pit known as a stomach) The heartless attacked as always and the battle was pretty easy with Kirby helping out again. Kirby sucked up a shadow and became a new form never seen known as Shadow Kirby. Shadow Kirby could blend in with the ground and surprise attack his enemies from behind. Sora kicked against a tree and slashed his way through a army of heartless that fell from the sky. He then used Strike Raid to finish them off. Luigi used his updated fire and ice to freeze and burn them. Yoshi ate them up and shot eggs out at the others. Sora also called in his three summons to help as they battled their way through. Finally, they arrived at the entrance to Dedede's castle and entered it.

"Which way to the throne room?" Sora asked Tiff as they ran down through the hall.

"To the left!" She responded.

The group headed left and up a group of stairs. Dedede was at his throne looking at his Star Rod.

"Ah, victory never smelled so sweat." He laughed. He then felt something under his throne. "Wait a minute, it's not victory there's a pie underneath my seat." He then pulled out a pie from his throne and ate it.

"You watch too many cartoons." Escargoon groaned.

"Quite, dummy!" Dedede snapped. "Now, what should I do to my loyal subjects do first? Have them all perform ballet for me? Or I could have them all destroy Kirby!" His eyes then widen. "I just got an idea!"

"Do my ear deceive me or did that walnut size brain of your just come up with an idea?" Escargoon chuckled with a grin.

"Your insults won't work on me today." Dedede laughed. "Because I'm going to have the whole town...no the whole world of Dreamland destroy Kirby."

"Not while I'm around." Called a foreign voice. Dedede noticed Meta-Knight entering the room with his sword out.

"Well, well, if it isn't a vile traitor." Dedede laughed. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Sword, Blade, and myself would never bow before you." Meta Knight said angrily. "We only did it so we could discover the truth about Nightmare Enterprises. You've been made a fool of. They're leading you right into their hands. Please hand it over to me or you shall fall before them."

"Listen my friend. You're not going to trick me into handing over the Star Rod." Dedede denying the request. "Ya got to get up pretty early in the morning to fool old Dedede."

"Or at least wait until lunch time." Escargoon snickered.

"I heard that you fool!" Dedede snapped at Escargoon.

Meta Knight took out his sword and went into a battle pose. "If I can't get through to you with words, then I'll have to fight you."

"Fighting you is a waste of my breath." Dedede chuckled. "Sword and Blade shall take care of you."

Meta-Knight's eyes widened upon seeing his closest friends, the one who's lives he once saved were both ready to attack him. He felt his heart sink that Dedede has gone to great lengths to take the Star Rod. Meta-Knight did not wish to attack the first friends he ever had. Sword knocked Meta-Knight's sword known as the Galaxia out of his hand and Blade slashed him aside into a wall. The two knights continued to slash him while he cried in pain.

"Leave him alone!" Called Tiff. Dedede turned to see Sora's group enter the room.

"Great." Dedede groaned. "It's that meddling key brat and his friends."

Sora ran over to where Meta-Knight was being attacked and kicked both blade knights aside.

"Meta-Knight!" Sora exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Sora, but do not worry about me." Meta-Knight coughed weakly. Tiff and Tuff ran up to Meta-Knight and helped him up.

"It's okay." Tiff sad encouraging to Meta-Knight. "We're here now!"

"Thank you." Meta-Knight said softly. Inside his mask, a tear streamed down his face as he has never seen such love from people who actually cared for him. For the first time ever he has experienced an emotion he never though possible. "Kirby! Take my sword!" Meta-Knight threw his sword at Kirby who ate it.

Kirby spun into the air and flashed. He jumped back down and was now wearing a hat similar to Link's hat.

"Where has Yoshi seen hat before?" Yoshi wondered tilting his head.

"Yeah, the hat does look familiar to me." Luigi added nodding in agreement.

Sora rolled his eyes with a chuckled. Kirby took out Galaxia and held it ready to fight.

"This would normally be Kirby's form known as Sword Kirby, but when he absorbs my sword he becomes Galaxia Kirby." Meta-Knight explained weakly. "He is twice as powerful as Sword Kirby."

"Dedede!" Luigi shouted. "Give up, fatso! You can't run from us!"

"You're finished!" The twins added.

"Not on my watch you faucet fixing feather-head!" Dedede laughed taking out his Star Rod. He fired a wave which send Tiff, Tuff, the twins, and Meta-Knight flying into a wall. A cage then fell on top of them.

"We're trapped!" Tuff cried.

"Dedede, let us out of here!" Tiff demanded.

"Sorry, sweat checks." Escargoon grinned. "We'll release you only after your four friends falls."

"Man, this is some world we've encountered." Luigi sighed. "I mean it feels like an international world. Knight boy talks like he's Spanish, that hamster sounded like he came from down under, and now fat boy sounds like a hillbilly."

"Luigi, Yoshi!" Sora called to his friends. "You two deal with Dedede while we deal with Sword and Blade."

"Great, leave it to us to fight the tougher guy." Luigi sighed.

"Luigi, we have to use magic to weaken the Star Rod, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Attack!" Dedede commanded.

Sora and Kirby clashed with both Sword and Blade. Sword slashed at Sora and he rolled out of the way. Sora clashed with Sword again and the two jumped back. Sora charged again and he jumped over the attack and kicked Sword aside knocking his sword out of the way.

"That was easy." Sora chuckled.

"Quicky! Get that thing off his neck!" Tiff instructed.

Sora used his Sonic Blade badge to zoom right through Sword and he slashed the weird collar off causing Sword to look around in confusion.

"Where am I?" A confused Sword asked. "And what happened?"

"To make a long story short Dedede had you under his control." Sora said quickly.

"Oh, well then I'll help anyway I can." Sword responded.

Meanwhile, Kirby blocked Blade's attack with Galaxia. Blade stuck hard at Kirby sending him rolling back. Kirby got up and did a handstand on his sword as Blade attacked him. Kirby slashed at Blade sending him rolling back. He got up and the two charged right through each other with a slash. The two stood still for a moment and Kirby reverted back to normal as the collar fell off Blade. Blade began mumbling uncontrollably and Sword smacked him across the head.

"What happened?" Blade mumbled in confusion.

"We were under a spell by the king but Kirby and that spiky haired kid saved us." Sword explained.

"Then let's take the king down!" Blade mumbled with a shout.

Before they could move, the heartless appeared in front of the cage hold their captive friends.

"How about after we take these creatures out and save our friends?"

"You got it!" Blade mumbled charging

The two knights charged at the heartless while Luigi shot fire and ice spells at Dedede who dodged the attack.

"Man, how can you miss something that big?" Luigi asked surprise. "He makes my brother look like he's on a diet."

"Years of practice being huge." Dedede laughed. "Is that all you got plunger head?" Dedede dodged more attacks but was too careless to realize that Yoshi had put his tongue out which the king tripped on. "Hey! Watch where you put that thing you dino runt!"

"Oh, Yoshi sorry." Yoshi giggled.

Luigi took the chance to fire his ice spell at the rod which glowed.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Dedede hissed. He then jumped back up and looked to see Sora and Kirby run up to him. "I guess you two took care of Sword and Blade, huh? Well, it doesn't matter because I'm going to take you out myself."

"Now that's a first." Escargoon muttered.

"Behold! Our fighting arena!" Dedede cried holding up the Star Rod. The group looked around as they saw the throne room change into a wrestling arena.

Sora noticed signs everywhere that said Dedede rocks. He looked down to see a picture of Dedede in the middle giving a piece sign.

"What's with the wrestling arena?" Sora asked Dedede in confusion.

"I'd figure it would be a place where your pathetic friends could watch your downfall in a big arena." Dedede chortled. Sora looked out of the arena to see audience seats filled with the twins, Tiff, Tuff, and the three knights all tied up.

"Let them go!" Luigi demanded.

"You know we said that when we fought Ganondorf." Sora pointed out to Luigi rolling his eyes. "So, you're expecting him to say sure why not? He may be dumb, but he's not that dumb."

"At least I tried!" Luigi snapped at Sora.

"Now, it's time for the fun to begin!" Dedede said as his rod transformed into a sword. "Come and get me boys!"

Sora's group charged at Dedede with full power ready to attack. Tiff's group cheered our heros on to give them strength. Sora attacked Dedede with his keyblade but Dedede blocked the attack and threw him across the arena. Sora jumped onto the strings on the end of the wrestling arena and jumped back ready to attack with a kick. The evil king dodged Sora's attack and Sora slid across the floor stopping himself. Luigi shot a fire spell at Dedede which Dedede dodged. Dedede then used his big stomach to send Luigi flying onto the ground.

"Mama-mia!" He cried.

Kirby tried to suck up the Star Rod but Dedede held onto it.

"Let me show you how it's done Kirby." Dedede smirked.

Dedede opened his mouth and sucked Kirby into his mouth which caused Tiff to make a shocked look.

"Since when does Dedede do that?" Tiff exclaimed.

"The Star Rod allows him to do almost everything." Meta-Knight explained. "So, he can use Kirby's own ability."

Dedede spat Kirby out who flew into Yoshi and they both flew back. Dedede laughed so hard that he didn't see Sora come at him and punched him in the face. Dedede went flying across the arena and got up with an angry look. He charged at Sora and they both clashed their weapons together.

"You're very persistent, aren't ya kid?" Dedede said struggling.

"Oh, yeah?" Sora struggled. "Well, you're FATTTTTTTT!"

"Grr, that's it! Nobody calls me fat and gets away with it!" Dedede shouted angrily.

"Boy, if he did get the guys who called him that, there wouldn't be any people in Cappy Town left." Escargoon said to himself.

Dedede kicked Sora in the gut who jumped back and clashed with Dedede again. Sora kicked Dedede in the face and he fell down. He got back up and threw his sword at Sora who avoided the attack. Yoshi jumped on top of Dedede and tried to grab the sword but Dedede threw him off.

"I'll finish you off first dino brat!" Dedede shouted. He fried a beam at Yoshi who tried to run but he kept slipping.

"Hang on buddy!" Sora cried.

Yoshi got scared and huddled against the edge of the arena, realizing there was nothing he could do. The beam was about to hit him when Kirby jumped in front of the attack, taking the hit.

"Kirby!" Everyone cried.

A small explosion happened from the attack and it knocked Yoshi back. He looked up at the smoke and made a guilty look.

"What have Yoshi done?" Yoshi said with guilt. "Yoshi mean and jealous of Kirby and then Kirby save Yoshi's life." He put his head down sadly. "Yoshi just big jerk."

"Poor kid." Luigi said taking his hat off. "Such a brave little puff ball."

"At long last, I finally defeated my arch-enemy Kirby!" Dedede laughed manically.

Tiff began to get really worried. "Meta-Knight, is Kirby really..."

"No!" Meta-Knight gasped in surprise. "In fact, he's completely unharmed!"

"How?" The twins asked in surprise.

The smoke cleared revealing Kirby who has the energy wave in his mouth. He spat it back out at a shocked Dedede who got hit and crashed into the ground. Luigi and Sora took this chance and attacked the Star Rod with their magic.

"Yay, Kirby!" Tiff cheered.

"He's alive!" Tuff cheered also.

Kirby turned to Yoshi with a smile.

"Kirby, I sorry for being big jerk." Yoshi apologized. "Can Kirby still be Yoshi's friend?"

Kirby smiled and put his hand out to Yoshi and the two shook hands. Sora and Luigi continued to fire magic at Dedede who finally got up and was so mad that he used his sword to knock Luigi into Yoshi who both landed outside the ring.

"Luigi! Yoshi!" Sora exclaimed. He then turned to Dedede with a growl. "You'll pay for that!"

"Well, I just wanted to even the score a little." Dedede said with a grin. "Four against one isn't very fair."

"And who said you played fair?" Tiff asked rhetorically.

"Kirby, I have an idea." Sora told the pink puff ball. "If you can copy any ability, then I want you to suck me up and copy my power."

Kirby looked oddly at Sora while Luigi raised his eyebrow.

"Have you lost it kid?" Luigi asked in shock. "You're going to let that thing eat you."

"It's the only way." Sora responded. "Kirby please!"

Kirby nodded and opened his mouth sucking Sora into it. He then ejected Sora through the back in the form of a star which transformed him back to normal. Kirby jumped into the air and flashed. He came back down holding his own keyblade and had the same brown spiky hair as Sora. Luigi and Yoshi looked at Kirby in shock.

"Whoa!" Luigi exclaimed. "He did it!"

"Which one the real Sora?" Yoshi wondered.

Luigi rolled his eyes while Meta-Knight step forward and looked up.

"He holds the power of the keyblade." Meta-Knight said. "He is now known as Keyblade Kirby!"

"I like the hair style, Kirby." Sora chuckled. "It fits you nicely."

"A pint sized keyblade master won't make much of a difference!" Dedede said charging at the duo.

"Let's take this guy down!" Sora said getting his keyblade ready.

Sora and Kirby ran at Dedede with their keyblades out and clashed with him. Kirby jumped over Dedede and slashed him from behind causing him to fall back. Sora kneed Dedede in the face sending him flying into the air. Sora and Kirby both used Strike Raid and hit Dedede from the air. The king fell down and ran at the two again. He clashed with both keyblade wielders who pushed down on his sword sending him flipping over them. Dedede got up and attacked again but Kirby tripped him and tried to grab the sword but Dedede grabbed him and sent him flying across the room.

"Kirby needs more help!" Tiff cried. She then cupped her hands together and called out. "Kabu, warpstar!"

In the distance, a giant brown Tiki like statue heard the call and responded. "Warpstar!" A giant yellow star flew out of the Tiki's mouth and flew into the arena. Kirby jumped on the warpstar and flew around Dedede. Dedede fired beams at Kirby who dodged them all with the warpstar.

"Stand still you pink pain!" Dedede said annoyed.

Sora could tell that Kirby was distracting Dedede, so he quickly attacked by knocking the sword out of his hand. Kirby flew down and grabbed the sword which turned back into the Star Rod.

"Wayda-a-go, kid!" Luigi cheered

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered.

"Hey!" Dedede said angrily. "Give that back!"

"In your dreams!" Sora smirked. "Hey, Kirby! How about a double Sonic Blade attack?"

Kirby nodded and hopped off the warpstar charging up his keyblade. Dedede grabbed Escargoon and put him in front of him.

"Sire, what are you doing?" Escargoon panicked.

"When they attack us, you'll be the one to take the blow!" Dedede explained. "You are my most loyalists servant so you'd protect me."

"I'm loyal, but not that loyal!" Escargoon struggled trying to get free.

Sora and Kirby both dashed at the bad guys and slashed through them four times and then they finished it with a powerful blow that sent them flying out of the castle screaming. Everyone cheered and the room returned to normal and everyone was freed. Kirby reverts back to normal and his group runs over to him congratulating him. Luigi and Yoshi ran into Sora's arms and hugged him.

"You did, kid!" Luigi cheered.

"Sora won!" Yoshi also cheered.

"I didn't do it alone." Sora chuckled pulling his two friends away. "I had help from you guys and Kirby. Thanks Kirby."

"Kirby! Kirby!" Kirby cheered.

"You rocked the house Kirby!" Tuff cheered as well.

"Hopefully, we can now bring piece back to Dreamland." Tiff said with a sigh.

"Meta-Knight, can you ever forgive us for acting..." Sword began.

"It's okay." Meta-Knight responded. "You were under a spell by the king so it's really his fault."

"We should get the Star Rod back and fast." Tiff said. "But Kirby only has one warpstar and we can't all fit on it."

Sora looked down and noticed a strange badge. He picked it up and looked at it. It had four little stars on it and under the name said "Multi-Warpstar" Sora put it on and a beam fired out of and hit Kirby's Warpstar causing it to become a giant one. The star then exploded and became four new warpstars.

"What happened?" The twins asked jumping back.

"I don't know." Sora said curiously looking at the badge. "I put this strange badge on and then it caused the warpstar to become four new ones."

"That's the rare Multi-Warpstar badge." Meta-Knight explained. "Who ever wears it causes the nearest warpstar to expand and break into four new warpstars."

"Does that mean that we get to ride our own warpstars?" Sora said excitedly. Meta-Knight nodded and Sora cheered. "Awesome! Those things look like so much fun to ride. Are they hard to ride?"

"No way!" Tiff giggled. "They're real easy to use. It will get us back there faster."

"And we'll meet you back at the Fountain of Dreams." Meta-Knight said. "Sword, Blade, let's go!"

The three knights left the room. Sora and Yoshi got on their warpstars with ease while Luigi got on with caution.

"This thing better not cause any problems like..." The star then started up and Luigi went flying across the room and flew into a wall. Everyone started laughing at Luigi who had his face in the wall. "Ugh! Stop laughing and get me out of here!"

"Right, sorry Luigi." Sora laughed.

Meanwhile, Dedede and Escargoon appeared behind a bush with dizzy looks. The two villains stood up and Dedede brushed himself off and Escargoon helped. (Not that he liked it) Dedede then rubbed his hand.

"Well, highness." Escargoon began. "In my humble opinion I think this was the most failed attempt ever to defeat Kirby."

"Silence!" Dedede snapped. "So Kirby foiled my plans again. We'll get him next time! All we have to do is order another monster and..." Before Dedede could finish, he saw the Nightmare Enterprises Salesman walk up to the Fountain of Dreams. They were surprised by a very short fact. "He's even shorter then me!" That's right because the salesman who appeared on screen looking big was actually a midget. This caused both to laugh quietly but then Dedede and Escargoon snuck up to the bushes and watched to see what he was doing. "What on earth is that short head doing here?"

"I guess he's here to tell us a short highness." Escargoon joked

The salesman looked up at the Fountain of Dreams and smirked.

"Perfect, everything is in place." He said. "That fat idiot Dedede led us right into our plans. Once those brats place the Star Rod back up, my master will grab it and use it's power to take over Dreamland."

The Salesman left leaving a baffled Dedede and Escargoon.

"Well, sire." Escargoon said in surprise. "Apparently, we've been made fools of this entire time."

"Grr, I hate it when people trick me like that and no one tricks Dedede like that!" Dedede said appalled. "Escargoon, there's only one way to get back at those punks."

"Sire!" Escargoon gasped in horror. "You're not saying that we're going to have to..."

Dedede then sighed. "I'm afraid we're going to have to h...h...h...he..help Kirby."

Escargoon fainted upon hearing those words. The gang was flying on their warpstars all the way back to the Fountain of Dreams. Tiff and Tuff rode with Kirby on his warpstar while the others rode their warpstars. Sora and Yoshi were having a ball while Luigi floated with caution. About a minute later they arrived back at the Fountain with Chief Bookem waiting for them.

"Thank goodness you kids are back." Bookem greeted them. "Now we can get this mess settled."

Everyone got off their warpstars and approached the fountain.

"Kirby, how about doing the honors?" Sora smiled at Kirby.

Kirby nodded and walked over to the fountain with the Star Rod. Just then, Dedede jumped out from behind the bushes and grabbed Kirby's feet which caused everyone to gasp.

"Kirby!" Tiff cried.

"Kirby, you got to believe me here!" Dedede shouted at Kirby. "Whatever you do, don't put the Star Rod back onto the fountain."

"And why should he listen to you when the odds of you telling the truth is one in a billion?" Tiff scoffed. "Leave Kirby alone!"

"No, no, I'm telling the truth!" Dedede protested. "I'm not letting go no matter what!"

Kirby kept dragging the fat king along until he was finally so annoyed that he used the Star Rod to knock King Dedede back. Kirby jumped onto the fountain and placed the Star Rod back on.

"We did it!" Tuff cheered.

But it was too early to celebrate because something was about to happen. The clouds grew dark and the water from the fountain turned black as night. The Star Rod flew up into the sky and a dark blue ball appeared in the sky as well laughing manically. Meta-Knight's group appeared and looked up in horror.

"What is that?" Sora asked in shock.

"That, my friend is ENeME or the Nightmare." Meta-Knight responded.

"See, I told you!" Dedede said. "And ya all didn't believe me!"

"Wow!" Tiff startled amazed. "Dedede actually told the truth for once." She then looked up at ENeME. "We have to stop him or else Dreamland is doomed."

"Leave it to us!" Sora said jumping on his warpstar. "Luigi, Yoshi, Kirby, and myself will take this creep down once and for all!"

"Be careful, keyblade master." Meta-Knight said with a nod. "He is not that easy to defeat. Thousands of us battled him and we still couldn't win. So, with only four of you, your odds are pretty great."

"We're willing to try!" Luigi said bravely.

Yoshi got on his warpstar while Kirby ate his warpstar causing him to flash. He then took out an exact copy of the Star Rod and held it up high.

"Yoshi thought there were only two Star Rods." Yoshi said confused.

"There are, but as I explained earlier, the Star Rod created warpstars which were given to Star Warriors to use." Meta-Knight pointed out.

"And I'm guessing that the warpstar has the exact same properties as the Star Rod itself." Sora assumed. "So, that might give us an edge!"

"Good luck!" Tiff called to our heros. They all nodded and flew off into space with the Star Rod helping Kirby fly. She then whispered softly. "Sora, Kirby, be careful."

In the darkest part of space our four heros arrived to see a giant blue ball with the real Star Rod right above it.

"There it is!" Luigi shouted.

"ENeME, we know all about you and what you did!" Sora pointed at ENeME. "So hand over the Star Rod or else!"

"Or else what child?" ENeME roared with laughter. "You fools don't realize who your up against. I rule Dreamland now!"

"We'll see about that!" Luigi said getting the P 3000 ready.

"Very well." ENeME chuckled sinisterly. "I shall enjoy destroying the Star Warrior who has gotten in my way for the last time and the legendary keyblade wielder!" He then spun into the air while merging with the real Star Rod and dark clouds surrounded our heros. "Dreamland and the entire population shall bow before my power!"

Sora's group flew up from the dark clouds and looked to see a giant dark blue figure who wore a giant blue cape all around his body. He also had a giant white face with a wicked smile.

"Man, that smile almost lives up to the Happy Mask Shop guy." Sora gasped. "But then again, that's just me."

He fired stars at our heros with is white skinny hand which they dodged. He shot more stars that were about to hit Sora when Kirby blocked the attack with his Star Rod.

"Here, take this!" ENeME shouted.

He fired a yellow beam at our heros which they flew around to dodge. Luigi got better at riding his warpstar so he could dodge it a lot faster. ENeME then got tired from the attack and panted.

"Now's our chance!"

Sora's group tried to attack the head but they noticed that their attacks had no effect on him. Yoshi then noticed the wind blowing and it opened a part of ENeME's cape revealing a dark wave inside.

"Look, something dark under cape!" Yoshi excitedly pointed.

Sora looked down to see the dark wave. "That maybe the weakness!" Sora flew down and hit the dark wave causing ENeME to scream. "Guys, let's attack this thing!"

Everybody attacked ENeME with full power. Sora struck, Luigi shot fire, Yoshi threw eggs, and Kirby fired stars. ENeME quickly disappeared and reappeared behind the group.

"Ha!" He laughed. The group quickly turned to see him. "So, you discovered my weakness, huh? Well, I'm impressed, I usually never have to use my full power to defeat anyone. I'm more surprised that only four of you are actually able to keep up with me. Thousands of warriors battled me and couldn't defeat me!"

"That's because we work as one!" Sora smirked with confidence. "Our friendship makes us stronger then any other force out there. You can never defeat us!"

"Your pathetic friendship can't destroy me!"

ENeME put both his out and a giant thunder spell came down from the sky and hit everyone sending them flying across the area. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi almost fell off their warpstars but they got back on. ENeME fired more stars and Kirby deflected the attacks. Kirby flew at ENeME with the Star Rod out and shot a beam which ENeME deflected back at Kirby. Kirby took the hit and went flying back. ENeME fired another beam which caused him to grow tired and that gave Sora's group the chance to attack.

"We almost got him!"

"Ah! Stop that you fools!" ENeME cried in pain.

ENeME smacked everyone aside and fired stars that hit everybody. One star hit Sora very hardly and he fell off his warpstar.

"Sora!"

Kirby grabbed Sora by putting his hands under Sora's arms.

"Thanks Kirby." Sora sighed with relief. "Come on! Let's get him!"

Kirby and Sora flew at EMeME who fired more stars but Kirby moved Sora to dodge the attacks. ENeME got so angry that he fired a giant thunder spell that shot everywhere. Sora took out his summon gen and called on Ness by sending Luigi and Yoshi into it. Ness appeared on Yoshi's warpstar.

"Hey, Sora!" Ness said greeting his friend. "Need a hand?"

"Yeah, a giant thunder spell keeps coming down at us and we are barley able to dodge it." Sora explained.

"Leave it to me!"

"Take this boy!" ENeME shouted firing another thunder spell.

Ness put his hands out and created a giant blue wave which absorbed the attacks.

"I'm absorbing the attacks and sending their power to you!" Ness struggled. "But the down side to this is once the attack is over, I'm automatically dismissed. Some help, huh?"

"Don't worry about it." Sora smiled. "You've given us more then enough power to beat this guy!"

"Thank you and see you around."

Ness returned to his summon gem and Sora's party returned.

"Kirby! Let's finish this guy!" Sora smirked at Kirby.

"Goyo!"

Sora jumped onto his warpstar and he clashed his keyblade together with Kirby's Star Rod.

"You fools!" ENeME growled. "I've had enough of this child's play! It's time for you four to die!"

He fired another giant yellow bean while Sora and Kirby's weapons together fired a giant beam right back. The beams collided with each other with the competitors struggling with the attacks. Finally, Sora and Kirby pushed the beam up which ENeME tried to push back but it was too strong. The beam hit ENeME in the face which caused him to scream in pain. His cape flew fully open and everyone attacked his core head on. Luigi fired as much magic while Yoshi shot eggs. Sora and Kirby both gave a hard strike at ENeME which caused him to scream. ENeME flew back and put his hand on his chest and panted.

"Give up!" Sora demanded pointing his keyblade at ENeME.

The fiendish nightmare began glowing while lights all around his chest.

"H-how co-could I, the unstoppable nightmare have been defeated by a Star Warrior in training and a keyblade master?" He groaned weakly. "You may have defeated the power of the Star Rod of Dreamland but you'll never defeat the one held by Lord Bowser!"

He then exploded causing everyone to shield their eyes from the attack. The citizens of Cappy Town and Tiff's family along with the twins watched as the ray of light flashed from the sky. Everyone murmured to each other wondering what happened. Just then, everyone looked up and cheered to see Sora holding the real Star Rod waving to everybody. Kirby was on Yoshi's back hoping up and down. And Luigi was trying to act all popular.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He said proudly. "There will be an autograph signing later!"

Sora rolled his eyes with a smile. As they flew around Dreamland Sora saw all ths sites and sounds. Luigi also found a crystal and an Ansem Report left behind by ENeME. Meta-Knight looked up to the sky and had a tear coming down his face.

"Thank you, my friends." He whispered. "My fellow Star Warriors are now avenged." He then turned to Sword and Blade. "We shall find a home to settle down and start a new life now that ENeME is gone."

"And it's all thanks to Kirby and that spiked haired kid." Sword said whole heartedly.

"Thank you!" Blade mumbled.

The three knights left together knowing that they could start a happy new life. Sometime has passed since Nightmare Enterprise's downfall and all the Cappies have gone in for the night. Sora's group, Kirby, the twins, Tiff, and her family were the only ones left. Sora held the Star Rod getting ready to put it back on the fountain.

"Thank you keyblade master for everything." Sir Ebrum said to Sora. "I'm sorry about the way I've been acting. When that creature took over me I was doing the best to protect my children and it sort of got out of hand."

"Sort of?" Luigi said raising his eyebrow.

"Ignore him Sir Ebrum." Sora chuckled nervously. "He's just a bit tired from all the fighting. Aren't ya Luigi?"

"By the way Dad." Tiff began "Earlier downstairs why did you smash the crystal star up?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sora remembered. "What was so important about it?"

"Well, it was the key to revealing the keyhole." Ebrum laughed sheepishly rubbing his head.

"Daddy!" Tiff said angrily.

"Darling!" Lady Like gasped.

Sora and Luigi groaned and smacked their foreheads.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi groaned. "We had it! It was right under our noses!"

"Now what we do?" Yoshi asked Sora.

"Do not threat." Ebrum said uprising. "The Star Rod also has the power to reveal the keyhole. So, you should be able to find it."

"Where do we go to find it?" Tiff asked excitedly.

"Tiff!" Ebrum said in shock. "You should know better then that! You're a very intelligent young lady and yet you don't know where the keyhole is? It's in Kirby's secret area of course." He then turned to Sora. "Key Bearer. I have one final plea to make to you. Would you kindly seal the keyhole? I want to see that this nightmare is truly over."

"Please, don't say the word nightmare around me right now." Luigi groaned. "It was bad enough just to fight one."

Everyone started laughing and Sora's group left. Unknown to them, the NME salesman appeared behind the bushes and he muttered.

"This isn't over." He muttered. "I shall return."

He left in the shadows hoping that he will be able to seek revenge. Sora's group proceeded downstairs inside Castle Dedede until they reached Kirby's secret area. There, they walked up the engraved star. Kirby took the Star Rod and fired a beam at the engravement which revealed the keyhole.

"Kid, time to do what you do best." Luigi said.

Sora took his keyblade out and fired a tiny beam at the keyhole. Upon contact, the keyhole sealed itself which made a locked sound. Sora put his keyblade away as Tiff approached him.

"Hey, Sora?" Tiff began to ask approaching him. "Tell me what your world is like."

"Oh, yeah, about that." Sora said sadly turning to Tiff. "We're really sorry for lying to you. I would have never lied except that someone forced me to." He then eyed Luigi.

"Don't look at me like that." Luigi said innocently.

"Aw, forget about." Tuff said waving his hand slowly at them. "We forgive you. Kirby forgives you too."

Kirby jumped up and down cooing.

"I think he forgives us." Sora questioned tilting his head.

"Yeah, but if you can visit other worlds, then so can I." Tiff said happily. She then put her arms at her sides and spun around slowly. "So many places! So many people to meet! Kirby will take me there one day. Won't you Kirby?"

Kirby jumped up and down excitedly again.

"Well, do us a favor..." Fololo began with a sigh.

"...when you find it..." Falala added

"Leave us out of it." They both finished with a sigh.

"Okay." Tiff giggled.

"Well, we have to get going." Sora said stretching.

"Aw, couldn't you guys stay around for the Cappy Town parade?" Tuff moaned.

"Would to, loved to, but can't." Luigi said.

"We have our own adventure to worry about." Sora said sadly. "But we'll never forget any of you. Especially, Kirby." Kirby ran up to Sora and handed him a keychain with a star. "A keychain? For me? That's very kind of you Kirby." Sora equipped his keychain and it transformed into a yellow keyblade with a star at the edge. "Cool! I think I'll call this one, Warpstar. Thanks Kirby."

Kirby then looked up at Sora and opened his mouth. "S...S...So...Sora and Kirby, f...f...f...friends."

Tiff gasped excitedly and hugged Kirby. "Oh, Kirby! You spoke your first sentence! Sora thanks for everything!"

"No problem." Sora chuckled. "Well guys, time to hit that old dusty trail."

Sora's group said good-bye to their new friends and headed out. On the way Luigi stopped realizing something.

"Hey, I wonder what ever happened to Dedede?" Luigi wondered.

In his throne room, Dedede was talking to Bowser over his giant TV monitor and he wasn't too happy.

"You mean you were using me this entire time?" Dedede asked in shock.

"Yeah, you're too pathetic to be at our round table." Bowser laughed. "You don't even have a purpose to deserve the tile of bad guy. You even helped the good guys win a battle, so I bid you good day."

The TV then shut off and Dedede turned to Escargoon.

"Well, I'm miserable now that I lost my membership and I can no longer buy from NME." Dedede sighed sadly. "But I can still pound you for fun!"

"What?" Escargoon exclaimed. "Now wait I bruise easily!"

Dedede began chasing Escargoon around the entire castle, unknown to them that Tiff's group was watching and laughing as they ran all around the castle. Kirby was laughing so hard that he fell down and wiggled his feet in the air.


	20. A Day at the FZero Races

**Chapter XIX: A Day at the F-Zero Races**

After sneaking out of Cappy Town, our heros boarded the Toad Express where Luigi was able to bring them back to their normal size. Toadsworth then walked over to greet our heros.

"Master Sora, Master Luigi, Yoshi, glad to see everything turned alright in Dreamland." Toadsworth said while greeting them.

"Hopefully, Dedede will leave the poor citizens alone now that he can't order anymore more monster from Nightmare Enterprises." Sora smiled. "Maybe, if eats more, it will take his mind off it."

"When next world?" Yoshi asked Toadsworth.

"Only about a half hour away." Toadsworth responded checking his pocket watch.

"Then we'll chill for a little bit and get ready for our next venture." Sora announced.

"We could kid, but we're still in our disguises." Luigi pointed out.

"Oh, I forgot!" Sora exclaimed. "I guess I got so used to this body, I forgot about my normal body. Ok, Luigi, change us back."

"Here we go then!" Luigi said snapping his finger. A cloud went poof around our heros and when the smoked cleared they were all wearing tutus.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Luigi." Sora laughed sarcastically. "Seriously, change us back."

"It's no laughing matter." Luigi said getting a little nervously. "I forgot the spell on how to revert us back to normal."

"You what?" Sora panicked.

"Kid, panicking is the last think you should be doing." Luigi snapped trying to calm Sora down. "I'll keep trying! I'll remember it eventually!"

Luigi snapped his finger again and this time our heros became sea creature. Sora became a merman, Luigi became an octopuses, and Yoshi became a sea turtle.

"Why do I have the feeling there was suppose to an original purpose for these forms?" Sora wondered.

"Well, Master Sora, I think you should focus on the fact that sea creatures can't breath air." Toadsworth said.

"Oh, yeah." The group began gasping for air and they fell on the floor. "Luigi, change us again before I strangle you to cause the loss of more air."

"Air please." Yoshi added gasping.

"Okay, okay!" Luigi gasped angrily. He snapped his fingers again and this time they turned back into normal."

"Did it work?" Toadsworth asked with hope.

"I think so." Sora said with Luigi's voice. He then smacked his hand on his mouth. "Oh, no! I'm in Sora's body! I don't want to go back to high school!"

"Whoa!" Yoshi said in Sora's voice. "I'm a green dinosaur and I'm cute."

"Yoshi have sudden urge to eat pasta." Luigi said in Yoshi's voice.

Luigi snapped his fingers again and everyone but him turned into pasta on a bowl.

"Yoshi eatable now." Yoshi giggled.

"Well, I don't think it's funny one bit." Sora groaned.

"Mmm." Luigi said grabbing a fork. "Pasta!"

"Luigi! Wait!"

Luigi picked up the bowl which had Sora in it. Luigi spun a fork around it and was about to eat it. Sora screamed as he fell into Luigi's mouth into the dark. Next thing he knew, he screamed and woke up panting. He looked ahead of him to see Luigi holding his shoulders.

"Sora! Are you alright?" Luigi asked worried. "We heard you screaming!"

Sora looked at himself to see he was wearing his normal clothes and he looked at Luigi and Yoshi to see they were normal too. He fell back into his seat sighing with relief.

"It was only a dream." Sora sighed. "How did I fall asleep?"

"The minute you got on the Toad Express you were so tired that you fell right asleep Master Sora." Toadsworth explained. "Master Luigi turned you back to normal and we all crashed in for the night."

Yoshi jumped onto Sora's lap and licked his face.

"Aw, Sora had nightmare." Yoshi said warmly. "Is Sora okay?"

"I'm fine." Sora sighed. "That's the last time I fight against nightmares."

"I know you need to take a moment to breath kid but we'll be at the next world any second, so start to come alive." Luigi said.

Sora took a few minutes to wake up and they then had breakfast. After breakfast, the group sat back in their seats and got ready for departure.

"We're here!" Toadsworth announced.

"Let's check it out." Sora said approaching the window. Upon the group looking out the window, they gasped in amazement at what they saw. It was a giant futuristic city with flying cars driving all around it. They noticed a giant track that was all over it with loops and hard turns. "Whoa! Are we in the future? This place is unreal!"

"It's called Mute City." Toadsworth explained. "This world has advance technology far beyond any other world that it looks like the future. There are tons of different species that live there including humans and it seems that their most favorite event of the year is the F-Zero races. We think that the keyhole may be there, so you need to disguise yourselves as F-Zero racers."

"No problem." Luigi smiled proudly. "Leave it to me."

"NO!" Sora panicked. Everyone then looked at him funny. "No...no...nobody knows what they wear."

"Kid, what the hecks the matter with you?" Luigi asked concerned. "Does this have to do with your dream by any chance?" Sora just nodded. "Look, I haven't screwed up once and the dress thing was a joke."

"I know but in the dream you turned us into pasta and ate me." Sora said.

"Oh, Sora." Luigi sighed rolling his eyes. "I love pasta but I would never eat you if you were pasta. Don't worry about it. Let's-a-go and have some fun!"

"You're right, Luigi." Sora smiled. "Let's go then!"

The trio made their way towards the door and exited to their next world.

World Name: Mute City

Mute City had skyscrapers farther then they eye could see. In this world, technology and science have been far more developed then any other world. For example; traffic control is done by robots and people now use cars for air and ground. All of the buildings had neon lights around them and they came in many odd and disfigured shapes. One was an egg shaped one on a little pole. In the middle of town was where the biggest even took place, the F-Zero races. Racers from all over the city would come together to battle it out in heart pounding races around giant race tracks that spread out all over the city, with hard turns, hard gaps for the racers to jump over, and loops proving that racing has never been exciting or dangerous. A small crowd of people were in bleachers watching a blue futuristic car drive around the track extremely fast. Inside the building was a lobby where a giant sign on the poster said "F-Zero festival featuring the mini F-Zero racers"

Sora's group arrived at the entrance to the lobby wearing their disguises. Unlike Dreamland, they remanded in their normal states but were wearing different clothes. Sora wore a blue helmet on his head with a red racing uniform. On the left side of chest was the crown symbol that looked like the neckless he wore and of course he had his yellow shoes on. Luigi wore a red helmet with a light green racing type outfit. He had a mushroom symbol on the left side of his chest. Yoshi wore the same thing as Luigi except his was perfectly fitted on his body. His uniform was dark green and he had an egg symbol on the left side of his chest.

"You did a good job Luigi." Sora commented. "But do you think we can pull this off?"

"We got away with it in Dreamland, so I think we can pull this off." Luigi nodded. He then noticed Sora raising his eyebrow at him. "Okay, we almost got away with, but that's because Ebrum got lucky. If we blend in with the other racers, we should be fine."

"Yoshi have bad feeling in gut." Yoshi said nervously. He then could see the F-Zero heartless appear. "Yoshi right! Heartless!"

Sora took his keyblade out and got ready to fight. But as they were ready, they noticed that the heartless weren't fighting or moving for that matter. Sora approached one of them slowly and slowly put his keyblade up towards it.

"Be careful, kid." Luigi warned Sora. "You know your curiosity gets us into trouble!"

Sora lightly tapped the heartless with his keyblade and it didn't flinch.

"Hm, that's weird." Sora said confused. "I wonder why it won't attack?"

"Hey, maybe they get tired of Yoshi kicking butt." Yoshi laughed proudly.

"Kid, I wouldn't assume anything yet." Luigi pointed out. "There is a logical explanation for all this. I just don't know what it is."

The trio then heard an explosion coming from a part of the F-Zero building.

"Maybe, it has something to do with that explosion." Sora assumed. "Come on, let's go find out!"

Sora's group proceeded into the building where many people were walking around. Sora noticed other creatures besides humans in their. He saw lizard like creatures, red skinned creatures, robots, and more. They began searching for the cause of the explosion through many different hallways and doors. Many people noticed the trio but payed no attention as they walked outside to where the racing track was. They appeared under a giant tunnel area where they saw black and white checkered colors on the ground. They also saw mechanics with wrenches working on other F-Zero cars and some were with towels and windshield wipers. They also saw another man holding a stopwatch Sora then heard someone over the loud speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen." The announcer said. "Just finishing his time trial race, I give you a legendary F-Zero racer, a man who needs no introduction, the man of mystery; Captain Falcon!"

As soon as the name was announced the F-Zero heartless drove in and formed two lines parallel to each other which were far apart. The blue car drove through the middle of them and then came to a complete stop. The fans cheered as the person stepped out of the car. He was a tall man who wore a blue racing uniform, had a rad helmet with a falcon symbol on it, had a brown belt that held a gun on his left side, wore long gold and red gloves, and had wore golden boots. He waved at the audience who cheered and he turned to the man with the stopwatch who looked at it.

"A new record!" The man with a stopwatch said.

Captain Falcon put his hand up and walked away. News reporters and a camera crew followed him while leaving a baffled Sora.

"Did you see that?" Sora said.

"Yeah, that guy broke a world record." Luigi responded.

"No, I mean how the heartless knew to make that formation." Sora said suspiciously. "Maybe, this Captain Falcon person has something to do with the heartless. Let's keep an eye on him and see what happens."

"Okay." Yoshi nodded.

The trio followed close behind to see if he tried anything funny but made sure that he didn't suspect them. About a few minutes later, they arrived at a stairway where the Captain saw an old man who wore a yellow jump suit, and had many machines around his body like metal arms.

"Pretty impressive show you put on Captain." The man said. "But I'm sure that my Crazy Bear could have did that twice as better."

"Thanks for the comment, Dr. Clash." Captain Falcon chuckled sarcastically. "But I do agree with one thing. Those mini F-Zero racers still need work on their movements. After all it was my idea to come up with this F-Zero festival when I discovered them."

"Sometimes you can be a show off Falcon." Dr. Clash chuckled. "And you had to have all F-Zero racers help out."

"I usually don't ask for help, but I wanted to perfect it anyway possible." Captain Falcon continued. "And tonight is the big event." He then thought of an idea. "I know! Perhaps, I should consult Dr. Stewart. Yeah! I think I will!" He then began to head up the stairs when he turned back to Dr. Clash. "While I go see the doctor, get started on your part of the festival."

"I used to be the engineer here and yet after the drawing I have to set up corny decorations." Dr. Clash complained. "This is so humiliating!"

"You snooze, you loose Clash." Captain Falcon said walking up the stairs.

Clash grumbled to himself and walked off upset. Sora's group shrugged their shoulders and continued to follow their man. The Captain passed by security guards which saluted him. Sora's group acted as natural as they could and were lucky enough to make it by. About a few minutes later, the gang arrived at a security door where the Captain took out a card and swiped it across a door that said lab entrance. The door opened and the Captain entered it. Sora walked up to the door and groaned.

"Great." He groaned. "He used some sort of card to gain access to that lab. Now what do we do?"

"Maybe, FLUDD could help us." Luigi said pressing the button on the P 3000 exchanging it for FLUDD.

"Hello, Luigi." FLUDD said greeting his friends. "I am at your service."

"FLUDD, can you help us find an alternate way into that lab?" Sora asked FLUDD.

"I'll try." FLUDD began scanning the area until it detected something. "Yes, there is an alternate way."

"Really?" Luigi asked with hope. "Then tell us!" Seconds later, the group entered an air vent and crawled through it. "You call this an alternate way? It's so hot and disgusting in here!"

"Don't complain man." Sora said crawling slowly. "FLUDD did the best he could."

"But kid, air vents can sometimes be full of germs and dirt." Luigi complained. "And it's so stuffy too."

"Luigi neat freak." Yoshi giggled.

"So what?" Luigi responded. "I have good hygiene while you two brats smell."

"You didn't give me time to have a shower this morning." Sora argued. "The moment I got up we were at another world."

"Stop whining!" Luigi snapped.

"Yoshi hear voices." Yoshi interrupted.

Sora looked down through one of the caged vents to see Captain Falcon in a giant laboratory with one of the F-Zero heartless on a examination table. On the other side of the table was a tall skinny man who had brown hair and wore a yellow racing suit. The yellow suited man was observing the heartless.

"Are you sure your guidance system is working Dr. Stewart?" Captain Falcon asked the man. "Perhaps, it was damaged from that explosion that happened awhile ago. That may have caused something to go haywire."

"That's impossible!" Dr. Stewart protested. "My devices are always perfect. After all I had 20 years experience in the fields of medical science and not once have I failed. Even after my father died, I secretly continued to learn new skills"

"Then explain that explosion then." Captain Falcon said crossing his arms.

"I was baking a cake when I set my oven on a little to high." Dr. Stewart said sheepishly. Sora's group giggled to themselves while Captain Falcon even gave a little chuckle. "What? I need other hobbies you know."

"Whatever." Captain Falcon sighed. "Maybe, there is another way to make them work. What are they called again?"

"After much research I have discovered that they are called the heartless." Dr. Stewart responded.

"Hey!" Captain Falcon cried arising with an idea. "I have an idea! They're heartless because they don't have a heart, right? So, if we give them a heart, maybe they would obey."

"Hm, it's crazy enough to work." Dr. Stewart said to himself. He then walked over to the examination table "Hop on the table and I'll cut you open."

"What?" Captain Falcon exclaimed. "I didn't mean me!"

"You know you need to get into the environment more." Dr. Stewart sighed rolling his eyes. "You'd realize I was just kidding."

"Oh, uh...I knew that." Captain Falcon said nervously.

"Sure you did." Dr. Stewart said sarcastically. "We can make a our very own heart. Just imagine, if I could pull this off we could revolutionize medicine. I'd be given a Nobel Piece Prize for making an actually heart. I have the tools needed to do it." He went into a closet and pulled out a jar. "In this jar contains all the material needed to make a heart. I have always wanted to attempt it but I just never had time because of the racing but now I can finally realize my dream."

"Listen man!" Captain Falcon groaned impatiently. "Stop blabbing and let's get started!"

"My someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Dr. Stewart said upset. "The only problem is that I don't have the key to this stupid lock and I've checked everywhere for it."

"Now what do we do?"

Sora turned his head towards his group.

"So, these guys are using the heartless for their festival." Sora said. "I'm going to unlock that jar for them."

"Bad idea, kid." Luigi disagreed. "Number one: we'd be meddling again, number 2: it seems that the heartless are connected to each other some how and if these guys give this one a heart, who knows what might happen."

"Come on Luigi." Sora reassured him. "Nothing bad will go wrong and if they succeed, we won't have to fight. Besides, I want to see the heartless actually entertain us for once. Think about it, we can just put our feet up and enjoy."

"Well, it would, but then again I quiver at the thought of those shadow pains performing." Luigi said.

Sora noticed that Luigi and Yoshi were on his back and their weight on the metal bars was being pressed in. The bars were old and weren't very strong and also the bolts were loose. It then snapped and the trio fell through the room and landed on the ground. The men turned to see them and gasped.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dr. Stewart exclaimed upon seeing Sora's group. "How did you get passed security? Can't you see this area is very restricted?"

"Hey, we're F-Zero racers too." Luigi lied. "We lost our cards, so we had to find another way around the area."

"Nice try." Captain Falcon smirked. "I can tell that you three aren't F-Zero racers just by looking at you."

"But how did you know?" Sora gasped in surprise.

"Because you just told me kid." Captain Falcon responded.

"Doh!" Sora said smacking his forehead. "I hate it when people trick me like that."

"Listen, if you came for an autograph, tough luck!" Captain Falcon said. "I'm pretty busy."

"We understand that sir." Luigi nodded.

"But I can help you with your lock problem." Sora said.

"You help us?" Dr. Stewart scoffed. "Listen, this isn't a toy. This is science!"

"I'll show you." Sora laughed proudly taking out his keyblade. He then walked up to the jar and pointed his keyblade at the lock. He fired a beam at it which caused it to unlock. The men were in shock upon seeing this happen.

"Well, I'll be." Dr. Stewart said amazed. "The kid actually unlocked it."

"See, Yoshi want to see heartless dance too." Yoshi giggled.

"Impressive." Captain Falcon said amazed. "Thanks little guy. You saved us a whole bunch of work there...what's your name?"

"Sora."

"Well, then Sora." Captain Falcon smiled. "How would you and your friends like to be part of the festival? And you'll even eat for free there!"

"Yoshi do! Yoshi do!" Yoshi cheered.

"Whoa, take easy kid!" Luigi exclaimed.

"That sounds like fun. We'd love too." Sora nodded. "But there's one thing I want to ask you. Why is this heartless here?"

Captain Falcon then turned his attention to the heartless. "They came to our town not too long ago. I was interest about how they took on the form of a F-Zero race car. So, I figured that instead of watching us race, we could have these little guys race and perform as part of the main attraction of the first annual F-Zero festival. Sponsored by yours truly."

"It's funny." Dr. Stewart said. "Normally a guy like him would never do something like this. He is sort of an enigma and would never show his face in public except for racing of course."

"Hey, just like your cooking I need a hobby too." Captain Falcon said. "Anyways, the frustrating part is that I can't get them to do the right moves. So, with Dr. Stewart's help, we can make the heartless understand us and even I admit that he is a genius."

"I'm flattered." Dr. Stewart joked. "But let's continue anyways. I'm sure our guests don't mean any harm and they could help us too." He opened the jar and looked in it. "Um, this part might be a little disturbing so would you three mind looking the other way for a few minutes. A hearts not a heart without it's inner parts and it could get messy."

"Yeah!" Luigi agreed. "I just had breakfast too."

"You can read some of my medical books but don't rip out any pages." Dr. Stewart told our heros.

For a few minutes the trio looked at the doctor's books reading some interesting things. Sora read something on the digestive system. As he flipped through the pages he saw a torn page. At first he got worried wondering if he messed up the book, but upon close observation he recognized that it was one of the torn pages missing from Wiseman's book. He grabbed it and pocketed it. Finally, the doctor called the trio back and they turned around to see a heart on the table.

"So, that's what a real heart looks like." Sora said amazed. "That's so cool!"

"It's almost finished." Dr. Stewart said. "Now it needs the attributes of a heart. Those will be transferred into the heart through magnetic electric waves." Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi went to retrieve the certain items needed and then placed it on a lab table. "Let's check now. A frog will represent pulse and emotion. A spider, a Halloween mask, and scratched glass will represent fear and terror. And hope and despair will be represented by two snakes tied together. Together they should create a heart. Cross your fingers everyone."

The doctor walked over to a lever and pushed it up causing electricity to spark out and zap the attributes, the heart, and the heartless. The group awaited the results as the headlights on the heartless lit up but then the headlights went off and the system crashed.

"Shoot!" Captain Falcon said angrily. "It didn't work!"

"Well, there goes the festival." Luigi sighed.

"Not yet." Dr. Stewart said. "I think we're missing some ingredients. Luckily, I saved a memory jar just for this exact moment." He went into his closet and gasped upon what he saw. "Oh, no! The jar's empty!"

"It's what?"

Dr. Stewart walked back out angrily with the jar. "Heads will roll for this! No one takes a doctor's lab equipment and specimens and gets away with it!"

"Calm down, doc." Sora said calmly. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good reason for all this."

"Hm, someone stole it." Dr. Stewart assumed. "I better take this to a DNA machine while nobody else has touched the inside of it."

The doctor left the room leaving Sora's group behind for a minute.

"I hope everything is okay." Luigi worried.

"The doctor will figure it out." Captain Falcon reassured. "He's good at this kind of stuff. So, where did you guys come from anyway?" Sora explained to Captain Falcon about how they came from another world, leaving out their exact location. "I guess you guys don't know too much about our world, huh? Well, you're okay in my book. I kind of like the costumes."

The doctor returned into the room with an angry look. "Of all the nerve! After a DNA test, I've discovered that Jody Summer took the memory jar."

"Who Jody?" Yoshi asked curiously.

"She's a racer like us and the leader of the Elite Mobile Task Force." Captain Falcon explained. "This girl can be very strict and she can be very suspicious about things."

"Why would should she want the memory jar?" Sora asked Captain Falcon.

"Beats the heck out of me, kid." Captain Falcon shrugged. "But we got to get it back for the festival and Stewart will just go nuts if one of his experiments goes missing. Sora, not that I care but you and your friends are welcomed to help out by coming along with me."

"Sure, why not?" Sora smiled.

"Why not?" Luigi muttered. "Because we get into trouble that's why."

Sora's group along with the Captain left to find Jody. On their way down the stairs, they heard Dr. Clash calling for help.

"Captain Falcon! Help!" He cried.

The foursome quickly made their way down the stairs and of course Luigi trips and falls down the stairs as always.

"Medic!" Luigi cried.

"Get glasses!" Sora said to Luigi while running.

The group ran over to Dr. Clash who was panicking all around the area. Captain Falcon grabbed him and slapped him across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself, doc." Captain Falcon said. "What the heck's going on here?"

"It was terrible." Dr. Clash said. "I was checking on your little F-Zero creatures when they just started going crazy. They attacked me and ran off and what's worse is when I got outside, they were everywhere causing chaos. I barely made it out of there alive!"

"I knew it!" Luigi said angrily at Sora. "See what happens when your meddling gets us in trouble?"

"Listen Luigi!" Sora snapped "We can't worry about that now! You sound like Donald Duck when you get into one of your tantrums! The heartless are back to their own evil selves and our running a muck. But how are they acting so violent again?"

"Maybe our experiment triggered something." Captain Falcon assumed. "Now we more then ever need that memory back or else they'll hurt everybody." He then turned back to Dr. Clash. "You leave everything to me. You have nothing to worry about."

"Oh, well then good luck Falcon." Dr. Clashed sighed with relief.

"Show off." Luigi muttered.

Sora's group exited the building to get a warm welcome from the heartless who right away attacked. Captain Falcon was a strong fighter and used fire attacks on his opponents such as Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick. He even took out a laser gun and shot a few. Sora struck hard at a group of the heartless with his keyblade and he finished off another group with his strike raid attack. Luigi used updated magic spells to zap and freeze the heartless and Yoshi ate them and spat them out at others.

After defeating the rest of them Sora realized something. "Wait a minute! How are we suppose to find Jody in this big city?"

"Well, whenever there is a crime or a disaster the Elite Mobile Task Force will answer the call." Captain Falcon said. Just then, an explosion happened and everyone heard sirens. "That's probably them now!"

"How lucky could Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Falcon guy get?" Yoshi cheered.

"It's Captain Falcon lizard boy." Captain Falcon corrected to Yoshi. "Anyways, let's go and see if she's there."

"Listen bud, we have a problem." Luigi said. "That ruckus sounded too far away. We'd never make it by foot."

"No problem." Captain Falcon said taking out a remote. He pressed a button on the remote and his blue car drove up. "Boys, say hello to my race car the Blue Falcon."

"Cool!" The trio said together.

"Ooh, Yoshi love race car, it go vroom." Yoshi said excitedly.

Sora chuckled at Yoshi and Luigi rolled his eyes.

"It sounds like fun but you realize that we all can't fit in there, right?" Luigi pointed.

"I know. This is the part I'm going to regret later." Captain Falcon sighed. Seconds later, Captain Falcon started up the engine and put all the gears on. "You boys comfortable back there?"

Behind Captain Falcon was the trio who were all squished in cheek to cheek. Yoshi looked around, Sora struggled, and Luigi put his hand on his chin and made an upset look.

"Hey, I know we had a close friendship guys, but not this close." Sora said with his famous goofy smile.

"Ah, shut up." Luigi groaned.

"Hang on!" Captain Falcon said. "We're shifting into turbo!"

The Blue Falcon's began glowing and then it zoomed down the road at super speed. It only took two minutes for the F-Zero car to reach it's destination. As they arrived they saw a group of heartless around a yellow caution strings. Captain Falcon exited the car and Sora's group pushed their way through the door and fell over. As they stood up they saw a couple of the heartless break loose.

"Let's clean this area off of any heartless before we start looking for Jody!" Sora instructed.

Sora and the gang attacked the heartless head on with full force again. One tried to attack Sora but Captain Falcon grabbed it and threw it into another one. Sora then jumped onto Captain Falcon's shoulders and jumped off and kicked one that was in the air. Sora used Gravity to knock down the heartless that were airborne and when they came down, Captain Falcon would strike them hard with a Falcon Kick. Luigi used FLUDD to spray the ground and make the F-Zero heartless go out of control because their wheels kept spinning from the water. Yoshi used Egg Roll to roll around the heartless and squish them. Sora also called in Mr. Game & Watch who used a crab as a weapon or used oil spills to send the F-Zero racers crashing. After defeating them, Sora's group sighed with relief.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi said. "That sure was a chunk full of heartless."

"Hey, get away from there!" Called a voice.

Sora's group turned to see a young man walk up to them. He wore the same racing uniform like Captain Falcon. He had white from part way through his chest to his lower legs. On his shoulders was a blue color and he wore blue boots. He looked very bulky and had short black hair.

"Well, well, if it isn't John Tanaka." Captain Falcon laughed.

"Captain Falcon?" John asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Can't you see this area is restricted because of..." He then gasped upon seeing the area empty. "What on earth? Where'd the suspects go?"

"We took care of them." Sora said proudly. "They won't bother anybody ever again."

"Well, then I guess I have you and your friends to thank young man." John gratefully said. "But why did you come here? Can't you see this is police business?"

"Yeah, but we're looking for Jody and knowing you, your probably with her." Captain Falcon responded.

"Yeah, you just have to follow me wherever I go, huh, John?" Called a female voice.

Sora turned to see a young woman walk up to them. She wore a white racing suit with a pink bikini type armor. She also had black long hair.

"Well...no...er...I...mean...well." John said nervously.

"Forget it." Jody sighed. She then turned to Captain Falcon. "Well, Falcon what brings you here? You cleaned up that mess for us before we could even act."

"What can I say?" Captain Falcon smirked. "I never back down from a challenge. But the reason I'm here is because we heard you took a memory jar from Dr. Stewart's lab."

"Memory?" She asked taking out a leaf. "You mean this? I just took this from his lab."

"But why would you do something like that?" Sora asked curiously. "We need that for the festival."

"I've been doing some researcher on this memory thing." Jody explained. "I heard this thing has dark powers and it could cause disaster. When I found out that Stewart got his hands on one, I had to take it from him. I would have arrested him but the poor man had no idea what it does. Even if he is a scientist."

"Listen, nothing can go wrong." Captain Falcon smiled. "Once we get the heartless a heart, they'll be able to perform just as I envisioned it."

"Well as leader of the Elite Mobile Task Force, I am not allowed to give any substances to any non personal." Jody said.

"Aw." Yoshi moaned.

"Tell you what." Captain Falcon smirked. "How about we race for it?"

"Ha! Race?" Jody scoffed. "You know I can't beat you. I'm just a rookie!"

"Hey, maybe you could get lucky." Luigi said. "You never know."

"Well..." Jody thought. "Oh, why not?"

A few minutes later, the group returned to the F-Zero track where Jody and Captain Falcon drove around the F-Zero track. Jody was in the lead and driving through twist and turns while Captain Falcon was left far behind. Jody laughed with confidence and wondered if she could real win. She was about a second away from the goal line when the Blue Falcon drove pass her car and won the race. Sora's group cheered as the two competitors got out of the car and Jody angrily handed over the memory.

"Hey, thanks Jody." Captain Falcon smirked. "That was really nice of you."

"Just take it." She said angrily. "But don't come crying to me when terrible things start to happen. If you really want some entertainment for the festival, why not use those kids for the show? They look funny in their racing uniforms. Especially, the one with the big nose." Yoshi got mad again as Jody then turned to John. "Tanaka, back to the base!"

"Yes, ma'am." John saluted.

She then turned back to Captain Falcon. "Mark my words, you haven't seen the last of Jody Summer."

Jody and John then left in their F-Zero cars as Captain Falcon chuckled.

"She can be such a sore loser sometimes." Captain Falcon chuckled. "Come on! Let's head back and get this heart started!"

"Okay." Sora nodded.

"Why does everyone make fun of Yoshi's nose?" An upset Yoshi asked Luigi.

"Kid, they're just saying that." Luigi responded. "If they were to make fun of you they would have laughed at you saying oh look at the guy with the big nose. He's so funny."

"Oh, then Yoshi no worry."

Everyone made their way back to Dr. Stewart's lab. They weren't aware that they were being watched by someone. A man walked out of the shadows and it was a surprise about who he was. It was a clone or exact copy of Captain Falcon except he was evil and had red clothes and a blue helmet on.

"A heart, huh?" The evil copy chuckled sinisterly. So those fools are making a heart, huh? My master will be pleased."

He then left in the shadows and laughed manically. Sora's group returned to the lab with Dr. Stewart waiting for them.

"Ah, good job gentlemen." Dr. Stewart said happily. "Thank you for bringing me the memory back."

"Now, let's try this again." Captain Falcon said.

"Not yet." Dr. Stewart said. "I've been thinking to perfect it we need one more thing."

"What's that?" Luigi asked the doctor.

"The last item we need is with Dr. Clash." Dr. Stewart explained. "He's at the F-Zero garage. Head over there but knowing him he's going to probably have you do something weird."

"Like how weird?" Sora asked raising his eyebrow.

"Don't know." Dr. Stewart shrugged. "Just be careful."

"Frustrating, fettuccini." Luigi complained. "This is getting annoying."

"Now you know how I feel." Sora chuckled. "Riku and Kairi would always have me run around the island doing errands."

The group left and headed down stairs. As they headed to the left Sora found some more Pikmin and pocketed them. Also they battled through more heartless on the way. One tried to attack Captain Falcon but Sora slashed it aside. Another one came after him and he used a fire kick to knock it in to Sora who cooled it off with an updated Blizzard spell. Yoshi shot an egg at one and stomped on another one. Luigi used the P3000 to suck up the heartless and shoot them at others. Finally, the gang made it to the F-Zero garage where Dr. Clash was waiting for them.

"Well, it's about time you got here." Dr. Clash said. "I've been waiting for you."

"We're here gramps." Captain Falcon said. "Now give us the item."

"Not so fast!" Dr. Clash said with glee. "I'd love to give you the item but it sometimes gets lonely here and I like to have a little fun. So, we're going to play a memory game and if you win the item is yours."

"Okay." Yoshi nodded. "What does Yoshi have to lose?"

"The following car engines will start up in a certain order and then you need to repeat that certain order." Dr. Clash explained. "Ready? Go!"

The engines started up on certain cars at certain times. Sora's group watched the cars and listened for the sound. After listening to the sounds Sora entered the cars in the certain order and started up the engines. As Sora exited they heard an explosion sound.

"What was that?"

"Go check the last F-Zero car on the far right and open the trunk." Dr. Clash instructed. "There is where you the prize you are looking for awaits."

Sora walked over to the last car and opened the trunk and saw a Jack-in-the-Box.

"I wonder what this represents?" Sora wondered taking out the toy.

"Isn't obvious kid?" Luigi said annoyed. "What do you think a Jack-in-the-Box does?"

"Oh, yeah." Sora chuckled.

"Come on!" Captain Falcon cried. "Let's hurry up and get this heart started up!"

The group left and headed back to the lab once again. Meanwhile, at a place called the Dark Million the Captain Falcon clone entered a room where Black Shadow was waiting for him.

"Ah, Blood Falcon." He said. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Yes, sir." Blood Falcon said. "Captain Falcon and that boy with the key are trying to make a heart."

"A heart?" Black Shadow said. "So, that fool is really making a heart? If I had that heart then I could become more powerful. I'll take over Mute City and can do as I please. Not even Captain Falcon or the Elite Mobile Task Force could stop me. Blood Falcon, get me that heart! Now!"

"As you command my evilness." Blood Falcon said while bowing. He then left in a hurry and got into his F-Zero car and drove back to the F-Zero racing area.

Sora's group arrived back at the lab where Dr. Stewart awaited them.

"At last." Dr. Stewart said. "Now this heart should finally work."

"About time." Luigi sighed.

He took the toy and added it to the line up of the other subjects such as the frog, leaf, the snakes, etc. He then grabbed the heart and took it over to the examination table. Before he got the chance to put it down, something hit his hand causing it to go flying out of it.

"Ow!"

The heart went flying into the air and landed in Blood Falcon's hand.

"Aw, for me?" He joked "That's very sweat of you. And it's not even my birthday. Later, losers!"

He ran out the door and Sora's group ran over to Dr. Stewart.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Dr. Stewart said rubbing his wrist. "A little scar but nothing serious. How dare he steals my heart! I'm about a peek away from revolutionizing the world of medicine and then that fiend steals it."

"Whoever stole it, the guy looked like you Captain Falcon." Luigi said.

"That's because it's a clone of me." Captain Falcon responded. "His name is Blood Falcon and was created by Black Shadow. His purpose was to kill me at the F-Zero races but I defeated him. Black Shadow is the leader of the Dark Million, an organization that plans on global conquest. We need to go after that faker right now!"

"I'll remain here and make sure no one else tries to steals my experiments." Dr. Stewart said.

Sora's group left the lab and headed down stairs again where they saw Blood Falcon escape in his car the Blood Hawk.

"He's getting away!" Sora cried.

"He's not getting away that easily!" Captain Falcon said taking out his remote. He pressed a button and the Blue Falcon showed up. "Come on!"

"No way!" Luigi refused. "I'm not going to get squashed in there again!"

"Okay, I'm sure you can go a hundred miles per second Luigi." Sora said sarcastically. "We'll see you there real soon."

Luigi just groaned. "Alright, alright, I'll do it, but I won't like it."

The group boarded the Blue Falcon and he shifted it into high gear and a high speed car chase began. Blood Falcon turned to see Captain Falcon on his tail.

"Oh, no!" Blood Falcon exclaimed. "Those meddlers are right behind me! Let's see them dodge this attack!"

He pressed a button on his car revealing an oil spill which poured onto the road. Captain Falcon saw this and drove faster.

"What are you doing?" Sora cried. "We're going to crash if you drive through that oil spill!"

"An oil spill never slowed me down before." Captain Falcon said with confidence. "Hang on dudes!"

The Blue Falcon charged right through the oil spill and spun out of control. Captain Falcon spun the wheel back and forth as fast as he could until it got into the right position. Sora and Yoshi cheered while Luigi put his hand on his stomach.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick!" Luigi moaned.

"Well, don't do it in here!" Captain Falcon said worryingly. "I just cleaned this car!"

"Drat!" Blood Falcon growled. "Let's see those fools get past the spikes!"

He pressed another button which caused spikes to fall out all around the road.

"Holy, ravioli!" Luigi cried. "We're doomed!"

"Oh, yeah?" Captain Falcon smirked watch this. The Blue Falcon drove onto a building and drove along it going passed the spikes. "Nothing to it!"

"Grr...I can't stand it!" Blood Falcon said extremly angry.

The Falcon caught up with the Hawk beeping it's horn. The Hawk banged its bumper into the Falcon which sent it crashing into a building. It managed to get out of the building and catch up with the Hawk which tried to avoid the Falcon. The Falcon rammed the Hawk back and it slid across the road but it managed to gain control. The Hawk sped up and the Falcon followed. The cars were in dead heat and they kept driving for five minutes when the Hawk arrived at Dark Million. He exited the car and made his way inside. The Blue Falcon drove up seconds later and Sora's group exited it. They looked up to see Black Shadow's evil lair.

"It's true!" Captain Falcon said. "I knew Black Shadow was behind this!"

"Let's go stop him then." Sora said getting his keyblade ready.

"I just hope this isn't a trap." Luigi said nervously.

The group ventured into Dark Million and began their search. They arrived at the main hallway where they got a warm welcome from the heartless. Sora's group charged at the heartless and began to fight them. One attacked Sora and he ducked under it and did a round house kick, knocking it into another one. A few chased him around the room but he ran on the wall and back flipped over them and used strike raid to destroy them. Luigi used melee moves on his opponents such as his Luigi Tornado which caused him to spin his body and knock heartless away. He then took out a fire flower and transformed into Fire Luigi. His clothes turned colors as he now wore green overalls and a white hat and shirt. He shot green fireballs at the heartless obliterating them. Yoshi once again shot eggs at them knocking them off. One swiped at him but he rolled under it and jumped up and kicked against the ceiling and charged back and rammed a few with his head. Captain Falcon used his Falcon Punch to knock a whole bunch of heartless aside and into a fall. He then clenched his fist and slammed the ground sending a whole bunch into the air. After finishing them off, the group made their way upstairs to the next level where more attacked. Deciding not to waste time, the group had to hit and run their way through the second floor.

"Where do you think that imposter is?" Sora asked Captain Falcon.

"Probably at the top of Dark Million." Captain Falcon responded. "We need to hurry!"

Sora's group continued to make their way to the top battling heartless, collecting items, and taking a break. Finally, they reached the top of Dark Million and arrived at a big door. Inside was Blood Falcon who had the heart in his hand. He took it over to a tube and dropped it.

"Well, that takes care of that." Blood Falcon sighed. He then heard the big door close and he turned around to see Sora's group. "Oh, no! You again? When will you fools learn that you've already lost? I've already sent the heart to Black Shadow. You can't stop us now."

"When will you learn Blood that you can never beat me?" Captain Falcon smirked. "We'll get that heart back!"

"Think again!"

Blood Falcon threw a fire punch at our heros who dodged the attack. Sora tried to attack but Blood Falcon kicked him aside and he crashed into Black Shadow's desk. Captain Falcon grabbed Blood Falcon's hands and they both went into a hand-lock and they both pushed back forth with each other until Blood Falcon grabbed him and did an over the shoulder throw. Luigi used Gravity on Blood Falcon but he dodged the attack and used a kick to knock it back into Luigi. Sora used Cure to heal Luigi and he charged at Blood Falcon. Blood Falcon took out a laser gun and shot lasers at Sora but Sora used Aero magic to block the attacks. He then slashed at Blood Falcon sending him crashing into a wall. Blood Falcon got up and jumped into the air and dove for Sora but Yoshi kicked him aside. Blood Falcon jumped back and grabbed Yoshi and threw him into Luigi. Captain Falcon came in and hit him with a hard Falcon Punch while Sora kicked against a wall and slashed him again.

"Grr...stop that you big footed brat!" Blood Falcon growled.

"Big footed?" Sora said offended. "Now you shall feel pain!"

Sora charged again at Blood Falcon who did a sweep kick at him. Sora dodged rolled the attack and Captain Falcon came in with a Falcon Punch and knocked him aside. Blood Falcon ran at them again but Luigi sprayed water on the ground with FLUDD causing Blood Falcon to slip on it and slide right into Yoshi who kicked him up into the air. While in the air Captain Falcon jumped up and kicked him down into the ground where Sora was waiting with a Sonic Blade attack. He rapidly slashed through the evil twin and then kicked him into a corner of the room. The four ran over and surrounded him making sure he didn't try to escape.

"I give up! I give up!" Blood Falcon whimpered. "I can't take it anymore! It's bad enough getting my behind kicked by Captain Falcon, but now by a plumber, a dinosaur, and a kid with a key? It's humiliating! If you spare me, I'll tell you where Black Shadow went with that heart."

"Darn right you're going tell us!" Luigi said proudly.

Blood Falcon walked over to a monitor which was at the back of the room and pressed a button which was labeled "Do not press unless it's an emergency" A door then opened behind him.

"This door leads to the giant machine room where my boss is at the moment." Blood Falcon said. "Be warned though, he is waiting for you and I'm pretty sure he has a trap planned."

"Why are you helping us?" Captain Falcon asked suspiciously. "You'd never help me because the only thing you'd want to see is me being destroyed in front of thousands of people."

"Because I wish not to be humiliated by you fools." Blood Falcon responded. "You had me whimpering there and I never whimper in defeat."

"That's because Yoshi scare people right out of their socks." Yoshi said with a tough look.

"Kid, the only thing you scare is yourself." Luigi said.

"No way!" Yoshi said shaking his head. He then saw a mirror in the room and growled in it. He got scared and coward behind Sora. "Okay, Yoshi very scary."

"Stop fooling around!" Captain Falcon said to the group. "We have to go after that heart!"

"But just because I helped you doesn't mean I'm going to be rooting for you down there." Blood Falcon told the group. "We will meet again Captain Falcon and next time you won't be so lucky!"

"Let's go!" Sora announced

"One more thing." Blood Falcon said stopping the group. "To beat him you'll have to press a switch while he is standing in a certain area."

Blood Falcon left the room in a hurry while Sora and his friends headed down the stairs. On the way the heartless attacked again and our heros plowed through. Sora even jumped on the stair rail and slid down the area. Deciding it would help them get their faster Yoshi, Luigi, and Captain Falcon joined in.

"Yay!" Yoshi cheered.

"Whoa!" Luigi cried.

"Hang ten!" Captain Falcon said.

The group finally made it down stairs when they arrived at the machine room. As they entered it Sora saw it was a giant circular room with metal generator in the middle. Below him were metal switches the served some purpose but Sora was not too sure. Captain Falcon looked across the room to see Black Shadow holding the heart.

"Well, greeting gentlemen." Black Shadow chortled. "I'm glad to see that you made it this far...just to fall before me."

"We won't let that happen!" Captain Falcon shouted, pointing at Black Shadow. "Give me that heart back or else I will give you a Falcon Punch you'll never forget!"

"I'm so scared." Black Shadow said sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Have that kid with the key kill me? I'm not afraid of you clowns. So, you want the heart? Then come and get it!" Then, the unexpected happened, he opened his mouth so wide that it was like six inches. He then ate the heart which caused the group to gasp.

"That one thing Yoshi never eat." Yoshi said in disgust.

"Why would you eat that heart?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Simple, with the heart's power, I'll control a wide variety of heartless." Black Shadow explained. "Prepare yourselves for the end! Heartless come forth!" Sora's group got ready to fight, fearing the large amount of heartless they were about to face when they noticed only two appear next to him. Sora's group started to chuckle noticing this when Black Shadow looked at his heartless. "This is it?" He then heard Sora's group laugh and then he sarcastically talked. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Shut up! No one disrespects me like this and lives!" He then pressed a button starting up the turntable in the middle of the room. An explosion then happened which sent the four heros flying onto it.

Sora saw that the turntable was spinning them around the room. Spikes appeared around the turn table which the group avoided by jumping and ducking. The two heartless he summoned attacked them as well but they easily disposed of them. Black Shadow pressed another button and bombs with eyes came flying out of tanks.

"A Bob-omb?" Luigi said confused. "Here?"

"What's a Bob-omb?"

"They come from my world." Luigi explained to Sora. "They can be helpful and dangerous at the same time. They are the first type of bombs to actually walk."

Sora grabbed one of the bombs and threw it at Black Shadow who grabbed it and threw it back at him. Sora rolled out of the way as the bomb exploded. Yoshi ate another bomb and spat it at Black Shadow which caught him off guard.

"What the..." He exclaimed.

The bomb exploded in his face and he fell off the platform he was on and landed on the turntable. Sora's group attacked Black Shadow as fast as they could but he then slid under the group and got back onto the balcony. He pressed another button and metal bars appeared on top, protecting him from them.

"You coward!" Luigi shouted.

Black Shadow pressed another button which caused cannons to appear all around the turntable.

"This battle is the going to be the bomb." Black Shadow laughed.

"Man, and I thought Luigi's jokes were bad." Sora said. "This guy actually makes Luigi's look good.

"You think so?" Luigi asked Sora excitedly.

"Silence!" Black Shadow snapped. More bombs came firing out of the cannons and attacked the group Captain Falcon used a Falcon Punch to blast them away. Luigi used the P3000 to suck up the bombs which caused them to explode inside. Sora saw color switches on the ground and remembered what Blood Falcon told them.

"Guys, if we're going to reach him, we have to press one of those switches." Sora instructed.

Luigi tried pressing on one of the switches but Black Shadow noticed this and moved out of the way. This caused a part of the metal bars to go away and the platform lowered. They then knew that they had to hit the switch while he was on the certain platform. Black Shadow fired another bomb which everyone dodged barely. Finally, the group went into a group huddle to device a plan.

"Maybe if we run around confusing him, we can land on the switch at the right moment." Captain Falcon suggested.

"It worth shot." Yoshi nodded.

"Let's do it!" The foursome said together breaking from their huddle.

Black Shadow was slightly confused. "What are those fools up to now?" Sora ran up to a switch and was ready to press it. Black Shadow saw this and moved right but Sora faked pressing the switch and Captain Falcon quickly pressed the other one at Black Shadow got on the other platform. "Oh, pooh!" The platform came down with Black Shadow on it and our heros all attacked him. Yoshi wrapped his tongue around Black Shadow to make sure that he didn't escape while Sora slashed, Luigi fired magic, and Captain Falcon finished it off with a Falcon Kick which sent Black Shadow into a wall.

Black Shadow weakly got up only to see he was surrounded by our four heros. He was ready to attack them again but he was so weak that he fell down and landed on his back. Everyone cheered knowing that they won the battle.

"We did it!" Sora cheered.

"We won!" Luigi also cheered.

"Yoshi!"

"Well, I guess this proves that the heart was a dud after." Captain Falcon said in disappointment.

"Well at least you tried." Sora said trying to make Captain Falcon feel better. "I'm sure there's always next year."

"You're right kid." Captain Falcon smiled. "I'm sure there is. I don't normally say this but thanks for the help."

"No big deal." Sora chuckled rubbing his head. "We always beat the bad guys!"

"Hey, let's-a-head back to the racing area." Luigi said. "I'm getting tired of just standing here."

The group made their leave from Dark Million. On the way they were cautious to watch out for surprise attacks from the heartless. However, there was no heartless in sight so the group was able to relax. They finally made it out of the building and headed towards the Blue Falcon when all of a sudden the entire area began shaking causing Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi to lose their balance and fall down. Captain Falcon turned around to see Dark Million and he saw that it was broken up. Around it he noticed body parts of Black Shadow sticking out all over the place. An arm in the window holding a giant lantern was seen and Black Shadows head appeared above the building. Sora stood up and his mouth dropped wide open.

"H-how did he get so big?" Sora exclaimed. "And where did he get the lantern from?"

"I guess that heart had a little juice after all." Luigi gulped. "Now how do we beat it?"

"Look!" Yoshi pointed. "What that?"

Sora noticed dark oval shape type things sticking all around the building which transferred it's energy to Black Shadow. Guarding all of them were heartless.

"It seems that Black Shadow is absorbing power through those energy orbs." Captain Falcon said observing the energy orbs. "If we can take those things out, I'm sure we can beat him."

"This shouldn't be hard then." Sora said with confidence.

"When ever you say that kid, we always get in trouble." Luigi sighed.

"Are you saying I'm a jinx?" Sora asked Luigi offended.

"Exactly!"

"Well, you don't exactly have the best hand/eye coordination." Sora argued.

"I do not!" Luigi yelled.

"Hey, I'm not the one who falls down the stairs or runs into a wall." Sora pointed out.

Upon hearing that Luigi shut right up. The group charged at the building as the heartless attacked. Flying heartless attacked from above but our heros ducked under their attacks and countered with their own attacks. Two attacked Yoshi but he did a split and kicked off both of them and spun into the air. He used his tongue like a grappling hook to grab onto a part of the building pulling him in. Yoshi jumped on the building and saw one of the energy orbs. He ate a few heartless and turned them into eggs. He then fired them at the energy orb which eventually got destroyed. Sora saw one by the lantern and tried to attack but fireballs came at him. Sora dodged the fireballs and even had to deflect some with his keyblade. He then attacked the energy orb as much as he could until it was destroyed. Luigi used ice on an energy orb to freeze it up. He then kicked it causing it to break into a million pieces. The pieces then stood up and attacked him. Luigi used as much fire magic as he could to put out the ice. One slashed at his face giving him a small cut.

"Ow!" He cried. "That hurt!"

Captain Falcon dodged some dark blasts that came from the top of the building. He kicked one back at the giant face causing it to scream in pain. Captain Falcon then used Falcon Kick on one of the orbs and destroyed. There were two more left so Sora went with Captain Falcon while Luigi went with Yoshi. More F-Zero heartless attacked and tried to trip Yoshi but Luigi sucked them all in. Two more came after them and Luigi tried to step on them but the F-Zero cars began moving around taking Luigi along for the ride.

"I coming!" Yoshi said trying to help Luigi.

"Jane, stop this crazy thing!" Luigi yelped.

"Yoshi see no Jane." Yoshi said looking around confused. "Yoshi go find Jane so she can help Luigi."

"I was saying a catch phrase that relates to the problem kid!" Luigi shouted. "Help me!"

"Oh." Yoshi said smacking his forehead. He then made a confused look. "Yoshi no get it."

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate both F-Zero racers causing Luigi to fall over.

"Ugh! About time!" Luigi groaned.

Luigi got on Yoshi's back and Yoshi jumped onto a part of the building where the next orb was. Yoshi had to use his long tongue to reach the next part which was far away. Once they reached it, Luigi used ice to freeze it up and then they both kicked it.

"There one more left!" Yoshi said.

The last one was being guarded by Black Shadow's hand. Sora tried to strike the orb but the hand grabbed Sora and threw him into a wall.

"This ends now!" Captain Falcon shouted. He charged at Black Shadow with a powerful punch but the giant hand blocked the attack. It then grabbed Captain Falcon and began to squeeze the life out of him. Captain Falcon screamed in pain but then started laughing. "Boy...you...sure..are stupid! Weren't you suppose to be guarding something?"

Black Shadows head looked down to see Sora charging at the energy orb.

"Nooooooooooo!" Black Shadow cried.

Sora rapidly struck the energy orb until it disappeared which caused Black Shadow to scream. He dropped Captain Falcon and a dark energy wave surrounded him. It covered the entire building including the hand which tried to reach a weaken Captain Falcon and Sora but the hand disappeared into oblivion along with the rest of the building. Seconds later, Dark Million and Black Shadow vanished completely. Luigi and Yoshi joined Sora and Captain Falcon.

"Thanks kid." Captain Falcon chuckled weakly. "You saved my life."

"No problem." Sora nodded. "It's what I do best."

"Here, I'll cure you." Luigi offered to Captain Falcon.

"No thanks." Captain Falcon rejected. "I'll be fine."

"Falcon man sure?" Yoshi asked concerned.

"I'm sure dinosaur dude." Captain Falcon reassured. As Captain Falcon stood up, he looked at the once Dark Million. "Hopefully, this might give myself and the Elite Mobile Task Force some time off now that Black Shadow is gone."

"Hopefully." Yoshi agreed. He then turned to see a crystal and an Ansem Report on the ground. "Yoshi found goodies."

Sora looked down to notice them and then picked them up. As while still looking down he could see a keyhole appear on the ground before him.

"What is that?" Captain Falcon asked in surprise.

"A keyhole!" Sora exclaimed. "I better seal it!" He jumped into the air and fired a beam out of his keyblade which hit the keyhole causing the familiar locking noise and it then disappeared from sight.

As Sora put his keyblade away as he heard car engines. He then turned to see Jody's car and John's car pulled up and got out with lasers guns in their hands.

"Freeze!" They both cried.

"Yoshi been framed!" Yoshi panicked putting his hands up.

"Oh, it's only you four." Jody said disappointed.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora said offended.

"What happened to Dark Million?" John asked gasping when he saw the building.

Captain Falcon explained about Blood Falcon taking the heart and Black Shadow using it. He then explained how they were able to stop their plans.

"So, you four single handily defeated Dark Million?" Jody asked Sora's group. They all then nodded. "Well, then good job. I commend you on a good job on finally riding us of Dark Million."

"Aw, it nothing." Yoshi blushed.

"Jody, ma'am." John said running up to Jody. "Dr. Stewart demands our presence back at his lab."

"Very well." Jody nodded. "Then let's go!"

The group boarded the Blue Falcon and followed Jody and John back to the lab. They arrived a few minutes later to see that everything was calm now that the heart situation settled down. They entered the building where they went up to the lab and entered it. Dr. Stewart greeted them.

"Jody, Tanaka, Falcon." The Doctor nodded. "Glad to see you all got back in one piece. What happened to the heart?" Captain Falcon explained what happened with the heart which left Dr. Stewart astonished yet upset. "So, the heart was a failure in the end."

"Come on." Jody smirked teasingly at Captain Falcon.

"Come on what?" Captain Falcon said annoyed and embarrassed.

"You know what I mean." She smirked. "Say it or else I'll sing that song!"

"Okay, okay!" Captain Falcon sighed. "I'm sorry...I guess."

"Boy, this guy has some compassion, huh?" Luigi chuckled.

"And..." Jody said.

"And I was wrong and you were right." Captain Falcon continued with a sigh. _"I can't believe I'd hear the day I'd apologizing to anyone."_

"Hey, don't take so hard." Jody said trying to cheer him up. "I'm sure the next festival will be much better and I'll actually help too."

"Well, alright." Captain Falcon smiled. "And with that said, I'm afraid I have no choice but to cancel the festival."

"Aw, man." Sora said disappointed. "I was looking forward to it."

"There goes Yoshi's free food." Yoshi said sadly.

"I'm sure it will be better next time around." Captain Falcon reassured. "I respect you kid. Even I consider you a friend and you're always welcome to come back. Here this used to belong to me but I'm giving it to you." He then handed Sora a keychain and Sora put it on by taking Warpstar off. "That's called 'Might Falcon'. Take real good care of it and stop by anytime to visit." He then walked to the door. "Well, time for me to hit the F-Zero trail. See you next time!"

Captain Falcon opened the door and walked out.

"I wonder who he really is." Sora wondered.

"Well, kid." Luigi began. "Those are some mysteries that's best to be left untold."

Dr. Stewart was looking through his medical book and was talking to himself. "Memory, emotion...what else makes a heart? In fact what is a heart? I can't figure it out!"

Sora's group left the building unaware of what Jody said next

"Listen, figure that out later." Jody said to the doctor. "Me and Tanaka are going to get something to eat and then we'll meet you at the freeze chamber so we can begin the unfreezing process on our newest member of the Elite Mobile Task Force."

"You mean Rick Wheeler?" John panicked. "Are you nuts? If our superiors find out then..."

"Tanaka, you worry too much!" Jody said cutting John off.

"I do not!" John protested.

Meanwhile, Sora's group boarded the ship and returned to their original states. As Sora sat back in his seats he felt something.

"Hey, guy!" Sora said to everyone. "I'm hungry."

"So am I." Luigi agreed. He then got an idea. "Hey, after our adventure in Mute City, how about we race to the kitchen?"

"Okay." Sora said jumping up. "Sounds like fun! Loser who makes it there last has to make the sandwiches. Deal?"

"Deal!" Luigi nodded.

"Yoshi, start us up." Sora told Yoshi.

"Okay." Yoshi said as he put his hand up. "On mark, get set..."

Sora and Luigi were waiting for Yoshi's signal but then Yoshi ran off ahead of them causing both of them to gasp.

"Hey!" They both said in shock. "That cheater!"

Sora and Luigi ran off after Yoshi as Toadsworth chortled. As they ate their sandwiches Sora began to wonder about Kairi and where she was. He was thinking to himself that would he be able to see her again? And what about Riku? What's become of him? Sora didn't realize that the next world they were approaching would answer all of his questions...


	21. An “Egg”cellent Super Sonic Adventure 1

**Chapter XX: An "Egg"-cellent Super Sonic Adventure Part I**

Awhile has passed ever since Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi left Mute City and things were pretty calm. Luigi was eating some left over spaghetti, Yoshi was sleeping and Toadsworth was reading his journal. Sora was looking out the window still thinking about what Riku said earlier.

"_Do you even want to save Kairi?"_

Those words haunted Sora's mind and it was something he couldn't get over. Riku would have never said anything mean about Sora caring for Kairi. Ever since he was little, Sora has developed a crush on Kairi. He remembered how they would always play together on the island and even if Riku was with them Kairi was always around Sora. Sora would do anything for Kairi thus giving him the nickname errand boy. He would run around the island getting many different things for her and brining it back. Sora then remembered the night he was on the island during a meteor shower. But before he could get deep into those memories he felt something was wrong. Sora felt sick and felt funny beats coming from his heart. It felt like nothing he has ever felt before and he felt a bit faint. Luigi noticed Sora acting strange and quicky ran to his aid.

"Sora!" Luigi said concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I...I...don't know." Sora said weakly. "I don't feel so good. My heart feels funny and I feel sick." He then got nervous. "Luigi, I'm scared."

Luigi calmly put his hand on Sora's forehead and felt it. "Hm, you don't have a fever. At your age I seriously doubt you'd have any heart problems and I think you would have other serious symptoms, but I'm going to listen to your heart anyways."

Luigi walked over to a draw and opened it. He then pulled out a stethoscope and walked back over. Toadsworth also came to Sora's aid and tried to comfort him but they decided not to wake Yoshi up.

"Luigi, since when did you have a stethoscope?" Sora asked surprised.

"My brother gave it to me to use when he was taking time off from being a doctor." Luigi explained.

"I thought he was a plumber?" Sora said raising his eyebrow.

"Well, he is, but in his spare time he's also a construction worker, a puzzle solver, a driving instructor, a tennis umpire, golf player, pinball helper..."

"Luigi!" Sora interrupted angrily.

"Oh, right, sorry." Luigi chuckled sheepishly. Luigi put the ear parts on and put the metal part on Sora's chest and listened to it for a few seconds. "Hm, It sounds pretty normal to me. Maybe you're a bit stressed out kid."

"You think so?" Sora asked.

"I'm sure." Luigi reassured him. "Sometimes I get irregular heart beats when I get stressed out too. I really don't thing there is anything wrong, so just relax."

"You're right, Luigi ." Sora smiled. "Or maybe it was all just in my head. I actually feel a little better. Thanks pal."

All of a sudden the Toad Express began shaking and everyone fell out of their seats. Yoshi woke up in shock and looked around with a panicked tone .

"Yoshi up! Yoshi up!" Yoshi cried.

"Calm down kid!" Luigi snapped Yoshi. "We must have hit something."

Sora ran over to the window and looked out seeing something that astonished him. "Guys, come here quick!"

Yoshi, Luigi, and Toadsworth ran over to the window and looked out. They saw a giant airship floating not to far from the Toad Express. It was extremely big probably about quadruple the size of the Toad Express. Sora noticed a yellow symbol on the front which had Dr. Eggman's face on it. In the middle was a large circular area where machinery was running. The airship was making it's way towards the Toad Express.

"Oh, no!" Yoshi whimpered. "It an alien ship coming at Yoshi. Yoshi don't want to be used in science experiments!"

"Calm down!" Luigi snapped at Yoshi. "It's only an airship! I don't think they would plan on doing experiments to us."

"That maybe true but, you realize that the airship is coming right at us, right?" Sora pointed out.

Luigi looked back to see that the airship was in fact charging at them.

"Great garlic!" Luigi exclaimed. "It's trying to ram us!"

"I'll tell the pilot to get us out of here!" Toadsworth said.

Just then the pilot came running out of the room and ran to the door.

"Every mushroom for himself!" He panicked.

The pilot opened the door and he jumped out of the plane.

"Well, scrap that plan." Toadsworth sighed.

"_What an idiot." _Sora thought. _"He didn't even wear a parachute!" _Sora then gasped out loud. "Wait a minute! Is there another pilot on this plane?" Toadsworth shook his head. "I thought you guys had everything?"

"They were short on pilots." Toadsworth chuckled nervously.

"It the pilot leaped to his doom and we're standing right here, then who's driving the plane?" Luigi gulped nervously.

The four looked at each other and then screamed. The plane began to fell fast and the group held on to the chairs.

"We doomed!" Yoshi said crying.

"Don't worry." Toadsworth said making his way to the pilot's room. "Incase of an emergency like this, the pilot said there was a switch to press."

"Hurry up before we all go to that great pasta place in the sky." Luigi shouted.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Toadsworth groaned.

As Toadsworth continued to make his way up the others held on with their lives, when all of a sudden the door swung wide open and the door sucked Luigi out.

"Not agaaaaaaaain!" Luigi bellowed

Sora and Yoshi tried to hang on but the wind was too strong and both of them went flying out the window. Yoshi stuck his tongue out and wrapped it around the wing of the plane. Yoshi grabbed Sora's hand and they hung on.

"Yoshi!" Sora called to Yoshi. "We're not going to make it! When I tell you, let go!" He noticed Yoshi making a look like he thought Sora was crazy. "Trust me!"

Sora and Yoshi hung on for a few seconds and then Sora shouted now and Yoshi let go. The Toad Express spun it's way down into the next world while Sora and Yoshi fell towards the airship. However, Sora didn't remember what happened next because he blacked out.

About two hours later Sora weakly groaned and began to slowly get up. Sora struggled a little bit trying to come too, but he finally managed to get up. He looked around to see he was floating around and below his feet was the airship's ground which was only about 10 feet away from him. Sora wondered how he was floating when he turned around to see his answer. His shirt was hanging on a cannon that had a round circular area with green oval eyes. He sighed with relief and jumped off the cannon. He looked around at his new environment to see mini elevators going up and down on the sides. He saw a giant circular panel that had green glass and inside was machinery at work.

"_I wonder where I am?" _Sora thought.

World Name: Station Square/Egg Carrier

Sora began looking around calling for Luigi and Yoshi, but no one responded. As he walked around he could see many beatle type robots cleaning the entire airship with brooms and scrubbers. Sora jumped onto a mini elevator and went up to arrive on top of the circular area. He walked right and went up a small slightly titled area and he arrived at the back of the ship. Sora noticed a round area with glass windows. This showed Sora that it must have led to the engine room. He looked up to a pointy pole going up which had a large round pillar that was half way up there. As Sora moved again the whole airship began shaking causing him to fall down. He turned to see that the ship has taken on a new form seeing that half of the area he was on before was gone.

"Did this airship transform?" He asked himself. "This is weird."

Sora stood up again and began to walk when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in." Called the voice.

Sora turned around and he gasped upon who he saw. Standing on top of the pillar with his white long hair, it was non other then Riku.

"R-Riku?" Sora asked in shock.

"Long time no see." Riku smirked. "I'm surprised, I wasn't expecting you, Sora. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Egg Carrier."

"Egg Carrier?" Sora said confused. "You stowed away on a ship that carries eggs?"

"No you dummy!" Riku snapped. "This ship belongs to an evil scientist by the name of Dr. Robotnik or as everyone calls him Dr. Eggman, because he's shaped like an egg."

"Whoa." Sora said baffled. "That is just sad to have a ship named after you."

"Basically, I've been with the good doctor so I'd consider you and your friends the stowaways." Riku continued.

"My friends!" Sora cried. "Where are Luigi and Yoshi?"

Riku got upset upon hearing what Sora said. "Are they that important? What happened to old friends? Are they just a faded memory in the back of your mind?"

"That's not true!" Sora snapped. "I care for all of my friends and with the way you've been acting why should I care?"

"Because instead of them you should be worrying about her." Riku responded moving away.

Sora's eyes widened upon who he saw next to Riku. For a moment in time Sora thought his heart literally stopped beating and he couldn't breath. It was Kairi and she wasn't looking good. Sora noticed she was as pale as a ghost and she was looking down with hers eyes almost closed.

"KAIRI!" Sora exclaimed. "Riku, how did you..."

"Yes, while you've been fooling around with your new buddies I finally found her." Riku said. "Isn't it ironic that I found after all you've two been through? You don't care about Kairi one bit!"

"You'll regret that!" Sora shouted running at Riku.

Sora ran at Riku as fast as he could but was stopped by Dr. Eggman who floated in on his Egg Mobile.

"Hold it right there!" Dr. Eggman said stopping Sora. "I don't tolerate behavior from such a small mind, boy."

"Small mind!" Sora shouted offended. Sora was about to punch Eggman when a giant robot held him back. He had a laser gun on his left hand, a miniature flashlight on right side of his head, and skinny but long black feet. His entire body was egg shaped and he was colored red and had stripes of yellow all over his body. He also had little green little eyes. "Hey, let me go!"

Sora also noticed two more robots, one was a tall robotic chicken while the other was a small green robot that has steamroller wheels. He also saw heartless as well.

"Good work E-102 Gamma." Dr. Eggman applauded the big robot. "Excellent job on capturing the boy."

"Thank you sir." E-102 said in a monotone voice.

"Hey!" The Chicken screeched. "What about me? I helped while Grounder over here didn't do a thing!"

"What are you talking about Scratch?" Grounder argued with the chapter. "You were sleeping while I was the one who saw the kid!"

"Was not!" Scratch shouted.

"Was too!" Grounder argued back.

"Silence!" Dr. Eggman snapped at the two robots.

"Riku, I don't understand, why are you siding with the heartless?" Sora asked Riku in surprise.

"Sora, the heartless obey me now." Riku said correcting him. "I am their master and they do as I say. I have nothing to fear."

Sora has had it with Riku acting so stupid. He was so ticked off that he was ready to tackle Riku. "You idiot! You're blinded by rage and the darkness will eat away at your heart because of the heartless."

"My hearts is too strong." Riku said calmly. "I highly doubt it. I don't need advice, especially from a pipsqueak like you."

"But Riku..." Sora began.

"Enough!" Riku said cutting him off. He then put his hand out. "I've even learned a few new tricks, like this!" Sora gasped at what he saw next. A shadow version of him appeared before him and stuck his tongue at the real Sora. "I extracted a part of the darkness that lies within you and created a heartless version of yourself. It's pointless, Sora! I can't be defeated."

Sora didn't know what he could do. He was betrayed by his best friend and no matter what he did he couldn't talk any sense into Riku. Sora thought that all was lost and he finally gave in and put his head down.

"Good work." Dr. Eggman told Riku. "I think you triggered something in that poor boys emotions."

"Look at you." Riku smirked. "You're pathetic! If only Kairi could see you now. However, I do feel sorry for you, so I'll let you see your better friends."

"Riku that's not..."

"Gamma!" Eggman called to the E-102. "Take the prisoner to his cell."

"Your wish is my command, Dr. Robotnik." E-102 nodded. He then picked up Sora and took him away.

"Hey, put me down you hunk of junk." Sora demanded.

"Sorry, but I must follow master Robotnik's orders." E-102 said sadly.

E-102 left with Sora in his right arm leaving the bad guys behind.

"Okay." Riku nodded. "Now that Sora is out of my way we can continue." He then turned to Eggman and the robots. "We'll be arriving in Station Square within the hour. I'll make sure to get the captured hedgehog girl taken care of while you prepare for landing. I'll see you in an hour." He began to walk away but then stopped and turned back. "One more thing, make sure that Sora doesn't escape and tries to go anywhere near Kairi." He then walked away while Dr. Eggman made an upset look.

"Grr...I can't believe this!" Eggman growled. "I am Dr. Robotnik, the greatest scientific mind in the world. I am powerful leader and no one dare tells me what to do. Especially, that little molecule!"

"You want us to give him what for?" Grounder laughed gleefully.

"No." Eggman said shaking his head. "I need you two on guard duty to watch that pink hedgehog until Riku arrives there."

"But what about the boy?" Scratch butted in.

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Eggman sighed. "You forget that the heartless are crawling all over the place. They'll keep an eye on the brats."

"But Dr. Robotnik sir." Grounder gulped. "Don't you remember who else is down there?"

"Silence!" Eggman snapped. "I'm not worried about that little rodent. He won't stop me this time when I have the ultimate weapon."

"The Egg Carrier?" Scratch asked confused.

"No you ninny!" Eggman snapped at Scratch. _"I swear that is the last time I do any favors for my cousin." _He then floated up to a floating water like creature that was in the shape of a shark. "Ah, Chaos. Soon I will assemble all seven chaos emeralds and you shall become unbeatable. That bird that's with the girl has one of the emeralds. I'm so close I can taste it."

"Um, sir..."

"Quite Grounder." Eggman snapped. "I'm enjoying the moment."

"But who's guarding the girl?" Scratch asked.

"WHY ARE YOU TWO STILL STANDING HERE THEN?" Eggman shouted at both of them. "Get going or else I'm sending you back to the scrap heat!"

"Yes, sir!" The both said together. They then ran into each other and fell down.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Scratch shouted at Grounder.

"What?" Grounder responded shocked at the concept. "You started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

The two then began fighting with each other behind a wall while Eggman put his hand on his head.

"I think I need to lie down for awhile." He groaned. "The stress it killing me."

He then walked away groaning. E-102 brought Sora down into a red room that had many jail cells. Sora saw helpless animals whining in the cells as E-102 walked down the room until he reached the last cell. He pressed a button and the bars opened up. E-102 then threw Sora into the jail cell where he hit the ground.

"Mission complete." E-102 said to himself. "Child is securely in jail cell. Now to head over to get the bird."

"Hey!" Sora shouted standing up. He tried to make a run for the exit but E-102 pressed a button locking Sora in. "Let me out of here! There is someone I need to see!"

"I'm sorry, but master Robotnik said not to let you out." E-102 said. "Request denied."

E-102 left the room leaving Sora all alone. He sat back down in the cell and looked around the room. It was empty and quite. Sora could hear the wind whistling through the room and it was so quiet that Sora could hear his own breathing. He even got a little nervous but he was sad realizing that he has failed. He has lost a friend who was close to him and after finally finding Kairi he was never going to be able to see her again. Sora was about to give up all hope when he heard a voice.

"Sora!" Called Yoshi.

Sora turned to his left and saw Yoshi running at him with his arms out.

"Yoshi!" Sora cried happily. Yoshi jumped into Sora's arms and knocked him over. Yoshi rapidly licked Sora's face clean which caused Sora to laugh. "Hey! Cut it out! That tickles! I give up!" Yoshi got off Sora and he pet Yoshi's head. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Of course!" Yoshi responded with a giggled. "No one keep Yoshi down!"

"How did you get here?" Sora asked curiously.

"Yoshi remember landing here and then fat man shaped like egg locked Yoshi and Luigi in here." Yoshi responded.

"What?" Sora said surprised. "Luigi's here too? Where is he?"

"Hey kid!" Called Luigi. Sora looked down to see he was sitting on top of Luigi. "I'm glad to see you're alive and well, but do me a favor and get off me!"

"Oh, sorry." Sora chuckled.

He got off Luigi and Luigi jumped up and groaned.

"Terrible tortellini." Luigi groaned. "I'm going to have a bad back for weeks."

"Hey, I didn't see you there." Sora said with his goofy smile. "You think you'd get used to taking these blows."

"I just hope Toadsworth and the others will be okay." Luigi said ignoring the comment and brushing himself off. "By the way, how did you get here kid?"

Sora explained about how he arrived and met Dr. Eggman and his lackeys but upon mentioning Riku he slid his back down a wall and sat down.

"Riku." Sora said sadly. "He betrayed me. He's siding with the heartless." Yoshi and Luigi both gasped in horror as Sora put his head down. "I feel like I've lost hope, that a part of me has died."

"Oh, Sora." Luigi said softly. "Don't say that. You know that's not true."

Yoshi then hugged a sad Sora trying to make him feel better.

"Sora, no be sad." Yoshi said softly. "Sora may have lost Riku, but Sora no lose Luigi and Yoshi."

"We're right here for you, kid." Luigi said patting Sora's hand. "We promise we're going to help in anyway we can."

Sora was happy to hear that both Luigi and Yoshi were with him. A tear streamed down his face and he sniffled a little.

"Don't cry." Yoshi said softly still hugging Sora.

"I'm just happy to know that you two are with me right now." Sora whispered. "Thank you. I would have never gone on without you."

"That's not true." Luigi disagreed. "Sora, you have a gift. Sometimes we all get upset but we move on. And you change your emotions in like a few seconds kid. But remember not to be sad."

Yoshi moved away from Sora as he stood up.

"You're right, Luigi!" Sora said with confidence. "I can do this! I'll find someway to stop Riku and rescue Kairi. By the way I found her!"

"Sora don't say!" Yoshi gasped excitedly. "It defiantly Kairi?"

"Yeah, I finally found her!" Sora responded.

"Then Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi should go up and talk to Kairi." Yoshi said excitedly.

"Then let's-a-go!" Luigi announced as he ran towards the exit.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something genius?" Sora groaned sarcastically.

"What?"

Luigi wasn't watching where he was going and he ran into the metal bar and slid down it. Yoshi giggled and Sora walked over and bent down to him.

"You forgot that we're still trapped in here." Sora answered.

"Oh, er...I knew that." Luigi gulped nervously. "I was just checking if the bars were rusty and they look clean."

Sora then put his hands on the bars and sighed. "We need to think of a way out of here. And there is no keyhole used to open this thing."

"Now what we do?" Yoshi said sadly.

The group then heard someone clearing their throat. Yoshi got scarred and jumped into Luigi's arm.

"Oh, no!" Luigi struggled. "Here comes the back pain!" Luigi and Yoshi fell down and Sora laughed at seeing them on the ground. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny kid."

"Sorry." Sora smiled. "It was funny." Sora turned back to where he heard the clearing of the throat. "Who's there?"

"Hey, what's up?" Called a male voice. "Over heard your dilemma and it looks like you could use a hand getting out of here."

Just then a blue blur rushed by Sora and began bouncing all around the room.

"What happening?" Yoshi whimpered.

The blur continued running around the room and it almost knocked Yoshi and Luigi over, but Sora grabbed them and they all fell back. Finally, the blur spun down to the ground and revealed it self to be a blue hedgehog that wore red and white striped shoes and white gloves.

"Who you?" Yoshi asked the hedgehog nervously.

"Who am I?" The Hedgehog laughed. "Why I happen to be the answer to your prayers? Your ray of hope. The light at the end of the tunnel."

"Kid, the only thing I think you are is a young juvenile who doesn't respect their elders." Luigi scoffed.

"But Luigi, you're only in your twenties so I wouldn't exactly call you elderly." Sora pointed out.

"Oh, well I just don't trust his face." Luigi said.

"Ouch, harsh." The Hedgehog said. "Fine, you don't need my help, then you don't get my help."

"Wait!" Sora cried stopping the Hedgehog. "Sorry, but Luigi forgot to take his pills today." Luigi was about to talk but Sora quickly covered his mouth. "He gets cranky sometimes in the morning. Grownups, go figure." Sora then took his hand away from Luigi's mouth. "Listen, we could really use the help, but don't you realize that you're stuck in here too?"

The hedgehog leaned his back against a wall and smirked. "You kidding? No one keeps me locked up here."

"Then why are you locked in here?" Luigi said rolling his eyes.

"I'm just waiting for someone." The Hedgehog responded.

"Who are you waiting for?" Sora asked.

All of a sudden the group heard a loud banging noise and the group turned to see a giant robot that had legs and the chest part was in the shape of a plane appear before them with the bars destroyed. It had blue and yellow colors all around it and symbols of two orange tails. Sora also noticed the face of a cute orange fox at the top.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried. "That fat doctor guy made a giant robot by crossing a sweet little fox with a giant robot."

"I'm no robot." The fox protested. He then jumped out of the robot revealing him self to be an orange fox with a white chest, white gloves and almost similar shoes to the hedgehog's shoes. "That's just my invention the Tornado. Not only can it be used for flight but it can be used as a fighting robot."

"Wow!" Luigi exclaimed. "I've never seen such a young smart guy before." He then noticed Yoshi giving him a dirty look. "Oh, well there's you too. Sorry Yoshi.."

"Hey, Tails." The hedgehog said to the fox. "What kept ya?"

Tails walked up to the hedgehog with a smile. "Sonic, I'm glad to see you're okay. I was beginning to worry about you."

"Don't worry, bro." Sonic assured Tails. "I'm always okay. But the service hear stinks, no free food or movies. That's not cool, it's injustice. "

"And you actually know what the word injustice means?" Luigi asked rhetorically.

"Watch it old man!" Sonic snapped at Luigi. "Or I'll run circles around you!"

"I'd like to see you try it blue boy!" Luigi responded.

"Calm down!" Sora shouted. "We're all getting worked up over nothing! Take it easy guys."

"Sorry, kid." Luigi apologized to Sonic.

"Ah, no hard feelings dude." Sonic smiled. "I have a bit of a short temper."

Yoshi then noticed a very interesting feature about Tails and gasped. "Hey, does fox know he have two tails?"

Sora looked to see Tails had not one but two tails with white tips at the end.

"Two tails?" Tails said playing with Yoshi. "Where?"

"Behind!" Yoshi pointed.

"Kid, don't trick Yoshi like that!" Luigi said.

"Sorry, just having a little fun." Tails chuckled. "I was born with this mutation and it didn't just effect just physically, but emotionally."

"How did fox get two tails?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, it begins when something in your DNA changes before you're born..." Tails began

"Listen, Tails." Sonic interrupted impatiently, while tapping his foot. "As much as I want to hear the story about how you gained your mutation we have more important things to discuss. Did you find Amy?"

"Yeah, she's alive and well." Tails nodded. He then jumped back into the Tornado and searched through it. "I was able to take some pictures of her to show you that she is completely unharmed." He came back holding out printed pictures and handed the pictures to him.

Sonic observed them and saw a pink hedgehog that wore a red dress that was connected, red shoes with a white stripe in the middle, and of course white gloves.

"Good, she's okay." Sonic sighed with relief. "She still is a person, pain in the butt or not." The last picture he saw was another person who was next to Amy. She was as pale as a ghost. "Hey, who's this other girl with red hair?"

"Another girl?" Sora gasped. "With red hair?"

"Yeah, she was with Amy and since you're always rescuing people I figured you could rescue her too." Tails explained

"I wonder who this girl Eggman captured is?" Sonic wondered.

"Let me see that!" Sora said grabbing the picture out of Sonic's hand.

"Hey!"

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. "She's okay!"

"I take it you know that girl." Tails figured.

"Yeah, she's my friend." Sora told Tails. "I need to rescue her!"

"Well, then." Sonic began. "Looks like there is a reason for all of us to meet here. To team up to save the babes, although I'm not going to enjoy rescuing Amy."

"Isn't Amy, hedgehog's girlfriend?" Yoshi asked Sonic.

"W-w-what?" Sonic said appalled. "That girl is so annoying! I can't stand her! She's always running after me like a crazed fan girl! Sometimes I even have nightmares about it!"

"Then maybe you should let me rescue Amy." Tails said with hope.

"No can do little bro." Sonic sighed. "I have to do it."

Tails grumbled to himself while Luigi noticed this.

"I get it!" Luigi laughed. "Fox boy over here likes the pink hedgehog and he must be pretty jealous!" Luigi then laughed harder while Tails blushed like crazy.

"Hey!" Tails shouted at Luigi.

He ran back into the Tornado and pressed a button which caused the propeller to fly out and hit Luigi in the jaw.

"Ow!" Luigi cried. Sora and Yoshi giggled to each other while Luigi waved his fist at Tails. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Oops, sorry, must have pressed the wrong button." Tails teased while rolling his eyes.

Sonic smirked. "Well, then I guess you guys can tag along with us. Those black creatures are pretty tough and I guess we could use an extra set of hands."

"Alright!" Sora nodded.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic said introducing himself. He then extended his hand to Sora

"I'm Sora." Sora said extending his hand. Before Sora could grab Sonic's hand, Sonic moved it quickly away from Sora.

"Too slow!" Sonic laughed. He then smirked at Sora. "But seriously we're going to be in this together but only till we find Amy."

"You got it." Sora nodded.

"And this guy is my best buddy in the whole wide world." Sonic said introducing the group to Tails.

"I'm Miles Prower but everyone calls me Tails." Tails introduced himself. "I'll try to do anything I can to help you guys out."

"Then it settled." Yoshi nodded.

"Then let's go!" Sonic cried. He then got into a ready to run pose and then ran in place. "Up, over, and gone!" He then sped out of the prison area like lightning.

Sora's mouth dropped as he saw Sonic run out of the room. He's has never seen anyone move that fast before besides when Luigi runs away from a battle or when Yoshi hears the word food.

"Dang, he's fast!" Sora commented in amazement. "No one can run like that!"

"That's my best buddy." Tails said proudly. "They say he's the fastest thing alive. Come on! We have to go after Amy and your friend sometime this year."

"Okay!" Sora nodded.

Sora and Yoshi left with Tails who was in control of his robot. As they left, Luigi stopped for a minute to think about something. He then snapped his finger arousing with something.

"Oh, I get it!" Luigi said arousing with something. "Miles Prower as in Miles per Hour! I can't believe I didn't realize that sooner. What a great pun that could be!" He then ran after the others. "Hey guys! I just figured out something!"

Sora's group along with Sonic and Tails made their way towards the exit of the prison. Tails helped free some of the other animals that were behind bars, including some of the Pikmin which Sora stored in his magic cube. The group reached the exit to see that two robots that looked similar to E-102 were guarding the exit.

"Um, this is bad." Luigi said sadly.

"No way!" Sonic smirked. "You just leave this part to me and with your help too, Sora." Sonic whispered into Sora's ear who nodded to what he said. Sonic then zoomed out the door and turned to face the robots who looked down at him. "Hey, guys, yo! You wanna play tag?" He then tapped both robots and ran off. "Well, you're i-t, it!

The robots looked at each other confused and were about to run after him when Sora slashed both of them across the chest.

"Adios!" Sora cried.

Sonic ran back over to the group and whispered to them.

"Okay, I'm glad we took care of those bolts for brains. We can now make our way through this baby." Sonic whispered.

"We're going to try a surprise attack, so that Eggman and his goons won't suspect anything." Tails explained.

"That's a great idea." Luigi nodded in agreement. He then pointed nervously in another direction "But why don't we worry about our surprise guests first?"

The group turned to see the heartless appearing including some new ones called "Eggbots" These new ones were shaped like eggs and used ray guns. Sonic was another powerful ally to Sora's party as he used his speed to run around the enemies and confuse them. He kicked one of them and effortlessly avoided a ray gun attack from another one. Sonic curled into a ball and looked like a giant blue chainsaw which slashed through an army of the heartless. Sora used magic such as slow to make the enemies even more easy for Sonic to beat. Sora even impressed Sonic by using his Sonic Wave attack, rushing through the heartless. Luigi used his magic attacks as well such as fire and ice. Yoshi ate the heartless and spat them at others and they all rolled across the floor. A few tried to attack Tails but he fired missiles at them which knocked them into a wall. Tails then pressed another button which fired a giant beam, obliterating the heartless. As Sora finished off the last of a group of heartless he could feel something moving around the room. It was very quick but he was some how able to sense its presents.

"What's the matter kid?" Luigi asked concerned. "You okay?"

"I can feel a presents floating around us." Sora said in a serious tone. He then looked to see something was forming in a wall behind Sonic. "Sonic, look out!"

Sonic quickly dashed out of the way as Shadow Sora rushed in and rammed the real Sora in the stomach with his head. Sora went flying across the room and crashed into a janitor robot causing an explosion.

"_So much for the sneak attack." _Tails sighed sadly.

Sora weakly stood up and the evil version charged at him again. Sonic quickly dashed in and grabbed Sora by the hand and moved him out of the way.

"Thanks!" Sora smiled.

"No prob!" Sonic smirked giving a thumbs up. "I have an idea on how to beat this faker."

Sora and Sonic turned back to see Shadow Sora laughing around them. He then charged at them but when he was about to attack, Sora grabbed Sonic and threw him at Shadow Sora. Sonic curled into a ball and slashed right through Shadow Sora who then disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Tails asked.

Sora looked around the room trying to locate his evil double but could not pick up anything. "I think we lost him."

"Kid, how are you able to sense him?" Luigi asked in surprise.

"Because Riku extracted some of the darkness that rests in my heart." Sora responded. "It's basically me, but a dark version. So, it's like a part of me that escaped and it is something I can feel."

"Wait, I'm confused." Luigi said scratching his head. "That's suppose to be you, but is was derived from the darkness in your heart. So that means you still feel its emotions because it was apart of you. But if it was extracted from the darkness you would have a split personality or maybe you're the bad one and he's the good one. Or what if there was an alternate universe..." Luigi's eyes then went crossed. "Oh, great, I've went cross eyed."

"Here, gramps, let me sum it up for you." Sonic said clearing his throat. "It's something that was connected to Sora, right? It was a part of Sora and since it seems to move about on it's own, therefore it thinks it is Sora. The same personality, same traits, likes and dislikes, except one is a good one and the other one is an evil one. I've been in his shoes before, I should know. You're right about it being a part of him and how he can feel his emotions. They're some how connected."

'Oh, I think I get it." Luigi said scratching his head. "Just don't call me gramps!"

"Okay, got it." Sonic nodded. He then turned to Sora. "Don't worry about man. We'll get through this."

"Thanks." Sora smiled.

"Let's go guys." Tails said impatiently. "We're wasting time!"

Sora's group continued their venture through the room. It was a giant room with many doors, many platforms, and a system called a "Monorail" that had a single green line that went in and out of the room. Luigi suggested using it but Tails said that Amy was in another room in the area. As the group headed upward Sora located some more Pikmin. They all so saw a platform that had six honeycomb buttons with the letters "A" "E" "E" "G" "M" "N"

"Yoshi wonders what that means." Yoshi said.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Isn't obvious scale boy?"

Sonic stepped on the buttons in a certain order. First he pressed "E" then "G" "G" "M" "A" "N" spelling Eggman.

"Wow, that was obvious." Sora said raising his eyebrow. "Man, Eggman is even more pathetic then King K Rool if he thinks he can hide his valuables and place his trust in such a pathetic password."

Sora's group entered the room to discover hidden treasures such as items for the Toad Express, more Pikmin, even a thousand gold coins.

"Little Italy here I come." Luigi said while he greedily took the coins.

"Luigi." Sora said upset at Luigi.

Luigi looked at Sora and sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away." He then groaned. _"Mama-mia, he's worse then my mother."_

Sora also found a crystal which updated his and Luigi's Aero magic. Now they could deflect attacks more efficiently. They headed back outside and entered another room to their left. The heartless including Shadow Sora was there to greet them. The Eggbots shot beams at Sonic who dodged the attacks by running on the walls. He then jumped in front of one and stuck his tongue at another one. The other one fired a laser and Sonic dodged the attack and the beam hit the one that was behind him. Tails did some action on the ground by spinning his tails at the heartless and knocking them into each other. Shadow Sora charged at Sora again but he cast Aerora and the wind knocked the evil copy back. Sora tried to attack but the evil clone laughed and disappeared again.

"Shoot!" Sora said angrily. "I got away again...er...I mean he got away again."

"Gee, kid." Luigi snickered. "I didn't know you were so afraid of yourself."

"That's not funny!" Sora snapped with a threatening stare.

"I was only kidding!" Luigi cried. "Mama-mia, this kid can't take a joke."

Sora looked back up to notice that there was no other doors in the room. "Tails, I don't see another door. Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Positive." Tails responded. "I made a copy of the blueprints for this ship and found every possible route. In the middle of the room is a wooden board that is a trap door."

"That's why Tails is way past cool." Sonic smirked. "He knows exactly what to do."

"Aw, thanks Sonic." Tails blushed. He then jumped back into the Tornado and pressed a button. He then jumped out of it and the Tornado transformed into a suitcase. "There, now the Tornado should be able to fit. It's new, small, and can fit into easy storage bins. It's the go anywhere Tornado."

Everyone else rolled their eyes and then continued on. Sora's group went down stairs to where once again the heartless attacked them with Shadow Sora leading the attack. Shadow Sora punched Sora in the face who went flying into a wall. He got back up and rapidly slashed at the evil copy who dodged the attacks.

"_He knows all of my moves." _Sora through. _"There's got to be another way to beat this guy. Wait, if he has my likes, dislikes, and thoughts..." _Sora then looked over Shadow Sora and gasped. "Riku, are you giving that paopu fruit to Kairi?" Shadow Sora quickly turned around and Sora kicked the evil clone in the chest, sending it flying into a wall, where it made its getaway. "Heh, I guess I know myself a lot better." He then thought about what he just said. "Or I know him better but then again he's basically me or...never mind I'm just going to kick some heartless butt."

Sora and friends disposed of the heartless very quickly with help from Sonic and Tails. Afterwards, they found another ladder and climbed up it. They arrived in another room similar to the one they were just in, but strangely enough there were no heartless. Tails brought the Tornado back out and climbed aboard it. The group made there way down the room when Yoshi stopped everyone and turned to Sonic.

"So, how come Sonic run fast?" Yoshi asked Sonic.

"Not sure little guy." Sonic shrugged. "It was something I was born with much similar to Tails."

"Can Yoshi learn to run that fast?" Yoshi asked with hope.

"Um, no." Sonic responded lowering his eyes. "There can only be one fast guy and that's me."

"Aw." Yoshi said sadly.

"Hey, but turn that frown upside down." Sonic smirked trying to cheer Yoshi up. "You may not be able to run like me, but how would you like to fly like Tails?"

"Tails can fly?" Yoshi asked Tails.

Tails smiled proudly and jumped out of the Tornado. "You bet! Watch this!" Tails spun his twin Tails together so they looked like a spinning helicopter. Tails jumped into the air and put his back towards the ceiling and he flew up.

"Whoa, he can fly!" Sora gasped looking up.

Luigi then began to sing. "He can fly, he can fly, he can fly, he can fly..."

"Luigi, shut up!" Sora shouted annoyed at Luigi. He then rolled his eyes. _"Man, and Riku said I watched too many Disney movies." _Sora then turned to Tails. "That's so cool, Tails! I wish I could fly!"

"You can." Tails responded blushing from Sora's comment. "And I have just the thing."

Tails jumped back into the Tornado and searched through it for something. He then came back out with a beautiful emerald that had a red ruby color to it. Yoshi licked his lips and tried to eat it by using his tongue, but Sonic grabbed it.

"Hold on! You can't eat that!" Sonic told Yoshi.

"Aw, but I hungry." Yoshi moaned. "Shiny apple look good."

"This isn't an apple." Tails laughed. "It's called a Chaos Emerald."

"What's a Chaos Emerald?" Luigi asked observing the red ruby.

"The Chaos Emeralds contains powers that are unmatched by any force out there." Sonic explained. "These emeralds contains unlimited power and make people do unbelievable things. When all seven are gathered the one who wields the power will become invincible."

"This red one has the power to grant flight to one who can rightfully use it." Tails concluded. "If you want to fly then put your hands on the emerald and prepare to receive the power."

Sora's group huddled in and decided to give it a try. They bravely but cautiously placed their hands on the emeralds and it began glowing before their eyes. It got so bright that they had to close their eyes because of it. When the light dimmed they opened their eyes to see that everything was normal.

"I don't feel different." Sora said observing himself. "Maybe it didn't work."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it worked." Sonic reassured Sora. "Now you guys can fly..." Before Sonic could finish, Luigi jumped into the air and waved his arms. "...when you believe in yourselves."

Luigi stopped in mid air and looked down. "Um, this looks bad." He then fell down. "Mama-mia!" Luigi fell to the ground and everyone started laughing at him. Especially, Tails.

"Hey!" Luigi said offended.

"Sorry, we're not laughing with you, we're laughing at you." Tails joked.

"Oh, now you're-a-going to get if fox boy!" Luigi said running angrily at Tails.

"Yikes!" Tails cried running away.

Luigi began to chase Tails around the room while everyone else laughed. Unknown to them that a familiar chicken was watching them.

"So." Scratch said. "Those brats escaped. I better tell Dr. Robotnik."

"Not so fast!" Grounder said appearing behind Scratch. "I'm going to tell him."

"What?" Scratch screeched. "Oh, no, you don't!"

Grounder rolled off with Scratch chasing him. "Ha! Ha! I'm going to tell him!"

"Over my dead metal body!" Scratched said chasing after Grounder.

Meanwhile, Eggman was in a lounge area that had a fold down beds in the corner and a desk on the other side. It also had a refrigerator on the side and a T.V. opposite of that. He was at his desk listening to a disappointed Riku talked about something. Eggman stood up and slammed his fists on the desk.

"What?" He exclaimed. "After all of the efforts, all the strategic moves we took, and number of complaining, I finally get a moment of rest when I hear that Amy is not one of the chosen ones! Are you sure?"

Riku nodded. "Yes, we've run some test and Bowser confirmed it. Amy Rose is not one of them."

"That dumb turtle can't even solve a simple math equation like two plus two and yet he's able to tell who is a princess?" Eggman asked confused.

"It's like a sixth sense." Riku said coldly. "He was right about the current five we have at the moment. You volunteered her to be one of them, so it's not our fault." He then turned away from Eggman and looked out the window. "When we arrived in Station Square, we shall leave all the dead weight behind, including her."

"After chasing her for hours and hours, and now we have to let her go?" Eggman said angrily.

"You're never satisfied are you, you fat piece of lard?" Riku said sharply at Eggman who got mad.

"Lard?" Eggman said offended. "You shall pay!"

"Lighten up, chrome dome!" Riku snapped. "I had to say it because I've had it up to here with your complaining! You better shut up right now or I swear I shall sign you up for an aerobics class so fast that your head will spin!" Eggman the shut right up. "Besides, you still have the bird."

"Yes, I forgot about that." Eggman said with a wicked smile. He then made a serious look. "But answer me this; why is it those seven? What is Bowser planing?"

Riku crossed his arms. "Who knows what he's planing. But as long as it holds the key to getting Kairi's heart back I couldn't care less."

"Ha! It's a silly waste of time." Eggman scoffed. Riku then turned to Eggman with an evil glare. "It's true! The heartless have eaten that girls heart for breakfast and I'd stake my Eggmobile that it's lost forever."

"Say what you want but I will find it no matter what the cause." Riku said with confidence.

"Such persistents." Eggman groaned to himself. He then heard a red beeping sound and sat back down at his desk. He pressed a button and turned around to see a wide screen TV with a design of the entire Egg Carrier. On a smaller screen to the left Scratch and Grounder both appeared on screen struggling.

"Doctor Robotnik sir." Scratch struggled. "I have some urgent news."

"You mean I have some urgent news." Grounder struggled. "I tell it way better."

"Ha! Ha! I doubt it!" Scratched laughed. "I can tell it even better."

The two then started getting into a fight and begin beating up each other on the ground.

"_I am surrounded by morons." _Eggman groaned smacking his forehead. "Get up you numbskulls and you both tell me the news or it's scrap time!"

The two robots quickly got up and made nervously looks.

"Sorry, your evilness." Scratch apologized. "Bad news, the prisoners have escaped."

"What?" Riku and Eggman exclaimed together.

"And if that isn't bad enough Sonic the Hedgehog is with them." Grounder added.

"Curse that meddling hedgehog." Eggman growled. "He's always trying to ruin my plains, but not this time." He then looked back at the robots. "Scratch, Grounder. Bring Amy and that red haired girl to my cabin at once. And it seems that someone stowaway on the Egg Carrier. Find Gamma and tell him to capture are uninvited guest while your at it."

"Yes, sir!" They both said. They then turned towards each other and knocked into each other.

Eggman covered his eyes and groaned. As he turned back to Riku he noticed that Riku was nowhere in sight. Where did he go?

**To Be Continued...**


	22. An “Egg”cellent Super Sonic Adventure 2

**Chapter XXI: An "Egg"-cellent Super Sonic Adventure Part II**

Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, Sonic, and Tails arrived at a corner of the room they were in. Surprisingly, no heartless were in sight but Tails looked up to see a small caged area on the right side of the ceiling. Tails flew up and looked to see a Pink Hedgehog moping around. Tails gasped and he called to everyone.

"Guys!" Tails cried. "Come here! I found Amy!"

The gang ran over and looked up at the cage.

"Amy!" Sonic called. "Are you up there?"

Amy looked up hearing those words and gasped with excitement.

"That beautiful voice, could it be?" Amy asked excitedly. She stood up and began to run over to where a caged area was below her feet. "Sonic? Is that you?" She then looked through the cage to see Sonic. "Oh, Sonic, my hero! You've come to save me!"

"You okay?" Tails asked Amy.

"I'm fine now that Sonic is here." Amy said in a dreamy kind of way. "I'm going to give you the biggest kiss when you get up here."

"Sorry." Sonic chuckled nervously. "But my doctor told me to stay away from Amy germs."

"Hey!" Amy said offended. "That's not nice!" She then smiled at Sonic. "But then again you're so dreamy when you insult me."

Sonic groaned and smacked his head with his hands.

"Wow!" Luigi said amazed. "She really is a crazed fan girl."

"Listen, you guys got to hurry." Amy said. "Eggman's goons are coming!"

"Don't worry." Sonic smirked. "We'll be up there faster then you can say chilidog on a stick."

"Mm, Yoshi love chili." Yoshi said licking his lips.

"Whatever you do, don't stand next to him afterwards." Luigi advised, getting the sheer thought of Yoshi eating probably twenty chilidogs.

Sora approached the caged area and looked up at Amy. "Excuse me, Amy?"

"Huh? You're not Sonic!" Amy said noticing Sora. "You better have a good explanation!"

"Relax, Amy." Tails chuckled. "These our are new friends Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi."

"Oh, well what do you want?" Amy asked Sora.

"Up there in the prison with you, is there another girl by any chance?" Sora asked with hope.

Amy looked to her right where she saw a familiar red haired girl who was lifeless and pale as a ghost. "Yeah, there is another girl up here. I've tried to talk with her but she remains lifeless. At first I thought she was ignoring me..."

"Who wouldn't?" Sonic muttered rhetorically.

"I heard that!" Amy shouted at Sonic. "You better prepare yourself for a beating when you get up here Sonic T. Hedgehog."

"What's the T stand for?" Luigi said.

"It stands for the." Sonic responded. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."

"You mean your middle name is literally the? That's pathetic." Luigi laughed.

"Hey, I am not the ones who makes the names." Sonic responded with a snap.

"If it make Sonic feel better Luigi's last name is Mario." Yoshi giggled.

"So, my middle name is pathetic, huh?" Sonic smirked.

"Well...erm...I...shut up!" Luigi snapped.

"Ooh, such a good comeback old man." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Don't call me old man!" Luigi shouted.

"Old man!" Sonic said teasingly. "Old man! Old man!"

"That's it!" Luigi screamed annoyed. He then tried to chase Sonic but Yoshi and Tails held him back.

"Calm down, Luigi!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Sonic is like that." Tails said. "Just try to ignore him."

Luigi sighed and wiped his forehead. "Right, I'll try."

"Sorry, man." Sonic said. "I didn't know you'd get that upset." Sonic then sighed. _"That guy has some issues with taking jokes." _

Meanwhile, Sora saw Kairi's lifeless body through the cage.

"Kairi! Kairi!" Sora shouted. "It's me, Sora!" Kairi didn't responded. For some reason the same feeling he felt from his chest earlier appeared again but he was so excited that he ignored it.

Sora got worried as Kairi wasn't responding. He wondered what happened and continued trying to call Kairi. Yoshi came over and took Sora's hand trying to make him feel better. Finally, Kairi's hand flinched and Sora laughed happily.

"She moved!" Yoshi said happily.

"Kairi, you can hear me!" Sora smiled. "You're alive! I knew it!"

All of a sudden the group heard a door open and they heard Amy.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Amy cried. The group then heard Amy scream and the last thing Sora saw was Kairi's lifeless body getting dragged across the floor.

"What happened?" Yoshi whimpered.

"I bet one of Eggman's goons did something to her!" Sonic said. "Come on! We have to stop them!"

The group left the room leaving Sora behind who looked up at the caged area. _"Riku? Was that you who grabbed Kairi?" _

Deciding not to worry about it now Sora left and caught up with the others. Tails looked up to notice a hole in the ceiling.

"Hm, I don't remember this hole in the ceiling." Tails said confused. "I thought I had every part of the Egg Carrier mapped out."

"I thought you were the smart one." Sonic said disappointed.

"Hey, I'm not psychic, I can't expect everything." Tails sighed rolling his eyes.

"It looks like someone dug that hole." Sora said observing the hole.

"He's right." Luigi agreed. "It doesn't look like someone used a bomb or anything."

"I bet I know who did it." Sonic said to himself.

"Who?" Yoshi asked.

The group managed to pull themselves up through the hole and arrived in another room where the group saw doors on each side of the room. Two on the left side and one on the right side. As they ventured forward the heartless appeared in front of them.

"Boy, I can't just seem to get enough of these guys." Luigi sighed.

Before the group could attack a strange red blur dashed through the room and destroyed all the heartless.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "What just did that?"

The group looked to see that a red echidna in the middle of the room. Unlike Sonic's hair, his went down to his upper back. He had a white smile type mark on the upper part of his chest and had white gloves. However, his gloves had spikes on and he wore red shoes with a yellow stripe in the middle.

"Hey, it's Knuckles." Tails said surprised.

"Knuckles?" Yoshi asked confused.

"A pal of mine." Sonic explained. "He's a guardian of a giant floating emerald known as the Master Emerald. How are you buddy?"

"Listen Sonic!" Knuckles said cold heartily at Sonic. "I know what you did and I won't stand for it!"

"Huh?" Sonic asked confused. "What did I do to you?"

"Hand over the emerald you have!" Knuckles demanded.

"Some pal." Sora said drawing his keyblade. "Why do you want the chaos emeralds?"

"Chaos emerald?" Knuckles said baffled. "You mean you don't have the Master..." He then paused for a second and smacked his forehead. "Oh, no."

"Let me guess." Sonic said rolling his eyes with a sigh. "Eggman tricked you again."

"No way!" Knuckles objected. "No one makes a fool out of me!"

"Forgive Knuckles, guys." Tails told Sora's group. "He's very gullible."

"You can't prove anything!" Knuckles snapped at Tails.

"Hey, Knuckles." Sonic called to Knuckles. "Did you know that guys with red skin are actually old men when they're sixteen?"

"What?" Knuckles gasped. "You mean I'm already an old man?" He then panicked. "B-but I have so much to live for. And whose going to guard the Master Emerald...hey! You tricked me!" Everyone stated laughing and Knuckles sighed. "Okay, okay. So I'm guess I am gullible, but that still doesn't stop me from finding the Master Emerald."

"What's that?" Luigi asked curiously.

"It's an emerald that keeps my home Angel Island afloat." Knuckles explained. "But after a strange and powerful creature showed up, the pieces were shattered and I was told some of them were here. And I ran into Eggman along the way." He then really noticed Sora's group. "Oh, Sonic, are these new friends of yours? One of them holds the mighty keyblade."

"How do you know about the keyblade?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"I've heard many stories about it but I never thought it existed." Knuckles said. "Sorry, forgot to introduce myself, I'm Knuckles the Echidna."

"I'm Sora and these are my pals Luigi and Yoshi." Sora said introducing himself and his friends.

"Nice to meet you all." Knuckles said shaking Sora's hand. He then turned to Sonic with a guilty look. "Sorry, Sonic."

"It's okay dude." Sonic smirked. "Listen pal, we'd like to stick around and chat but we need to rescue Amy."

"I saw Amy." Knuckles said remembering something. "When I arrived in this room the door opened and some silvered haired kid with a human girl came out when I saw her insider that door."

"Riku! Kairi!" Sora cried upon hearing those words. "Which way did they go?"

"See those two doors behind you." Knuckles pointed out. "They went into the right door but if you want to find Amy she's in the left door. Only problem is that the door is locked. Not even my strength can break it down. Eggman did a good job constructing this airship."

"Tails, is there any other way to get in there?" Sonic asked Tails looking for an answer.

"I've been looking at the design of the Egg Carrier and I discovered that there is a secret ground door on the upper level." Tails explained. "Eggman is clever, but not that clever."

Sonic then gave Tails a high five. "Alright, Tails!"

"We just have to take the other door and go up." Tails said. "Also, we could catch up to your friends if we go now."

"We have no time to lose!" Sora cried. "Come on, we got to hurry! And it was nice meeting you Knuckles!"

Sora's group left and opened the door to go inside.

"You guys go." Knuckles smiled. "I have to find the last few pieces of the Master Emerald."

"Then we'll see you later man." Sonic said with a wave. "Oh, by the way your shoes are untied." Sonic then used his speed to dash into the next room with Tails following in the Tornado.

"Oh, thanks." Knuckles said looking down at his feet. He then realized something. "Hey, I don't even wear shoelaces!" He then shouted. "SONIC!"

The group arrived in a next room which had two bunk beds and above it was a ladder that was on the ceiling. Tails flew up and was able to get the ladder down for them. They all climbed up the ladder with Sora being the first one to go up it. He then pushed open the door on the ceiling and looked up to see that they were in Eggman's lounge room.

"_Whoa, this guy's got it made." _Sora thought. _"How does he pay for all this?" _He got out first and looked to his right. He gasped upon seeing Riku holding an unconscious body that belonged to Kairi. "Riku!" Sora ran up to Riku and stopped to face him. Sora could feel anger and rage burning up in his body. He has had it with Riku. Now kidnaping Kairi or so he thought has pushed him over the edge. But he was able to control his emotions not wanting to just attack him head on or to harm Kairi if he tried to attacked considering that if Riku has gone insane he would used Kairi as a shield. However, Sora didn't realize that Riku still had strong feelings for Kairi as well.

Sora pointed at Riku. "Riku! Stop this! You've gone too far!"

The silvered haired rival simply looked at Sora with evil in his eyes. He then smirked and backed away from Sora while holding a strong grip on Kairi's lifeless body. Sora could sense the presence of Shadow Sora entering the room and he was right on the money as it appeared in front of him.

"Farewell, Sora." Riku said softly.

"No!" Sora cried trying to grab Riku. Shadow Sora however stopped our hero and knocked him aside with a dark version of Sora's keyblade which sent him flying into Luigi and Yoshi.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Man, are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Luigi groaned standing up. "That evil version of you packs a punch. But I can take you any day."

"So, do you really think you can beat me?" Sora joked.

Luigi laughed proudly. "Of course I can beat you...erm...I mean him...no...I mean the other version of you...no...Ah! My brain hurts! I'm just going to kick his butt, okay?"

"Slow Down!" Sonic interrupted. "I was in his shoes once and I've learned that teamwork makes a difference in this fight."

"Sonic's right." Sora groaned standing up. "We'll take him down together!"

Shadow Sora laughed as our heros charged at him. Sonic curled into a ball and tried to slashed the evil copy but Shadow Sora dodged the attack and grabbed Sonic.

"What?"

Shadow Sora threw him into a wall but Sonic curled into a ball again and spun into it and pushed back. Shadow Sora then melted into the ground as Sonic attacked. Shadow Sora appeared behind him and kicked him aside. Sora charged at Shadow Sora and clashed with him. Sora did a thrust attack but Shadow Sora blocked it with his keyblade. Sora tried to vertically slash him but Shadow Sora dodged again. Shadow Sora rapidly slashed at Sora but he blocked all the attacks with his keyblade. Sora tried a kick but Shadow Sora used a knee block to block it. Shadow Sora then punched Sora sending him crashing him into a wall. Shadow Sora then charged past everyone and grabbed Sora and slammed him into a wall. He then got him into a headlock and began squeezing him. Yoshi and Luigi both kicked Shadow Sora in the chest and sent him flying into a wall. Luigi then used Cure to heal Sora. He then turned to face Shadow Sora who was getting up.

"Stop!" Luigi cried using a magic spell. Shadow Sora was about to attack but he then was frozen by Luigi. He then turned to Sora with a cry. "Kid, attack!"

Sora charged at Shadow Sora and rapidly slashed him as fast as he could. When the time wore off Shadow Sora went flying and crashed into a wall.

"Watch this trick!" Sonic said taking out a bunch of giant golden rings.

Shadow Sora got back up and charged at Sonic who threw the rings which lined up in front of him.

"Oh, my goodness." Luigi said sarcastically. "I bet he's so scared. I didn't know getting an engagement ring would be so scary."

"I'm not done yet." Sonic smirked. Sonic then spun his body into a ball and light blue energy waves entered his body. As he stopped, Luigi noticed Sonic was glowing light blue. "He's about to get a taste of The Lightspeed Dash! Ready...go!"

Sonic sped extremely fast through the rings and right through Shadow Sora in the process. Shadow Sora melted again and Sonic cheered.

"Who is the man?" Sonic said proudly.

However, unknown to him Shadow Sora appeared right behind him but Tails quickly fired a missile hitting the evil clone. Shadow Sora flew back and went underground again.

"Where did bad Sora go?" Yoshi asked while moving quickly.

Shadow Sora appeared out of the ground with an uppercut which hit Sora and Sonic. The two tried to attack again but the evil copy went under again and uppercuts them again.

"Man, that's getting annoying!" Sora said irritated.

Shadow Sora tried again but Sora used dodge roll to move out of the way. Sora then quickly kicked Shadow Sora in the stomach sending him spinning across the room where he turned into a puddle and crawled on the ground. The puddle then split into three puddles and they all formed three shadow Soras.

"Whoa!" Luigi exclaimed. "I knew this day would some! Sora reproduced himself which means more questions, more big feet, more annoyance and what's that suppose to mean?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked Luigi angrily.

"See my point?" Luigi responded.

"There's five of us and three of me...erm...I mean them." Sora said getting back on topic. "We should easily out number them."

"I wouldn't bet on it.." Tails disagreed. "I've been doing some scans on the evil Sora during the fight. Two out of the three Shadow Sora's are fake while one is the real one."

"But wait, there is a fake version of Sora so how can there be more fakes?" Luigi said confused. "Because Fake Sora already exists unless somehow he had his heart extracted. Or maybe he's using a..."

"Someone stop him before he goes cross eyed again." Sonic sighed rolling his eyes.

Sora attacked one of the clones and destroyed it but another one hit him in the back. He stepped back and saw Shadow Sora produce another evil version. Luigi used an ice spell destroying two of them while one remained behind. The group tried to attack him at once but he went into the ground again and everyone ran into each other.

"Ow!"

"Hey!"

The group stood up and groaned.

"That went well." Luigi said with sarcasm. He then turned to Tails. "Hey, is there anyway to like detect which one is the real one?"

"That's a negative." Tails responded. "Somehow he's using a strange force to block any energy waves I send at them to try and determine which one has a higher life force."

"Yoshi have idea! Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi all attack at once!" Yoshi said.

"But two out of three of us would get hurt and I wouldn't want to put you guys in danger." Sora said sadly. "If there are two fakes of him then I can sense the real one."

"Go for it kid!" Luigi said encouraging Sora.

"But..." Yoshi said sadly.

"Don't worry big guy." Sonic assured Yoshi. "Sora's one tough guy. He can do it!"

Yoshi nodded and watched as his friend walked in front of the three with burning fire in his eyes. He was determined to bring down this faker. Sora closed his eyes and the three shadows surrounded him with their keyblades ready to attack. The three shadows charged at Sora ready to strike as Sora could feel a part of him coming from the right. Yoshi wanted to help badly but Luigi and Sonic held him back with all their might. The three clones attack and Sora stuck his keyblade out, stabbing the one on the right in the stomach. It feel back and put his hands on it.

"It's you!" Sora cried charging at the faker. Sora rapidly slashed at the evil copy not giving it a chance to strike back. Soon the others joined in with Yoshi attacking with eggs, Sonic using his spin dash, Luigi shooting magic spells, and Tails firing missiles. Finally, Sora made one more hard strike on Shadow Sora which broke the fake keyblade. Shadow Sora fell to the ground and looked up to see Sora smirking at him. "Game over, faker!"

Shadow Sora then disappeared from the group's sight and they all sighed with relief. Yoshi jumped into Sora's arms and licked his face. Sonic walked up impressed.

"Well, I've got to admit Sora, you are way past cool." Sonic smirked. "You did a good job at beating yourself up..no I mean killing yourself...no..."

"Ha!" Luigi laughed. "Whose the confused one now, huh?"

"Old man!" Sonic snickered.

"Hey!" Luigi shouted angrily. "Now you are going to feel pain!"

"Wait, I was kidding!" Sonic cried running out of the way.

Luigi chased Sonic around the room until he tripped on something on a red carpet and fell over. The others ran over to help Luigi up while suspending their laughter.

"Luigi, what did you trip on?" Sora asked while helping his friend up.

"I don't know." Luigi said rubbing his head. "The carpet was pretty straight when I was running on it."

"Maybe, Luigi's shoes untied." Yoshi assumed.

"Hey, I'm not gullible like Knuckles is." Luigi said angrily.

"Look! A ghost!" Sora pointed passed Luigi.

"Ahhhhhh!" Luigi screamed running behind Yoshi. He then peaked his head out to see everyone snickering at him. "Ha! I was just playing along!"

"Sure, sure." Tails said rolling his eyes. "I think you may have stumbled onto something though." Tails then jumped out of the Tornado and moved the rug away to reveal a trap door. "Hey, this must be the trap door that leads to Amy's room! Nice job, Luigi!"

"All in a days work kid." Luigi said proudly.

"Come on!" Sonic said opening the trap door. "Let's rock and roll!"

The group jumped down into the next room to see Amy passed out on the floor. Sonic ran over to her and put his ear to her chest. Tails got out of the Tornado and looked over Sonic's shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Tails asked worryingly standing over Sonic's shoulder.

"Don't stand over me Tails." Sonic said to Tails. The young fox backed away as Sonic listened to her. "Good, she's breathing normally, so she'll be okay."

"We should get going before Eggman and his goons come back." Tails said.

"Right!" Sonic nodded picking up Amy's body. "Sorry, fellas, but this is as far as I go. Now that I have Amy, we're going to take our leave. Tails already made some configurations to the Egg Carrier, so it should crash."

"That will also allow us a better chance to get the remaining emeralds back." Tails added. "It was nice meeting you three, but we got to get Amy out of here."

"It's okay." Sora responded with a smile. "We know you guys have a lot to do. Our paths are different but maybe we'll meet again."

"Well, take care!" Sonic said waving good-bye to the group. He then ran off with Amy and Tails followed on the Tornado leaving the trio impressed.

"Wow!" Sora said amazed. "He really is the fastest thing alive!"

"Eh, I could do better." Luigi shrugged.

"Luigi run really fast when he hear word pasta." Yoshi giggled.

"That is true." Luigi chuckled.

"No argument there." Sora agreed. "Let's go! Riku still has Kairi!"

"Okay!" Yoshi cheered.

The trio left the room, unaware that a security camera was watching their every movement. The gang arrived back outside and went back through the other door and up the stairs. As they arrived the heartless attacked them out of nowhere. Sora used Stun Impact to create a giant red wave and stun a group of heartless. Yoshi used egg roll to roll through a swarm of heartless while Luigi used FLUDD to spray them away. Sora also called Navi into the battle to offer advice.

"Run on that wall and then Luigi shall hit them from behind." Navi advised.

"Okay, thanks." Sora nodded.

Sora ran onto the wall while a group of heartless chased him and Luigi shot a fire spell at them with the P3000. Sora jumped down and gave Luigi a high five. Two more fired lasers at Sora but he deflected the attacks with his keyblade. Yoshi came in and shot eggs at the last two heartless. The group made there way to the door and opened it. They arrived back outside the deck of the Egg Carrier where all seemed quite. Perhaps a little too quite. All of a sudden a group of heartless showed up in front of the group. Then Eggman and Scratch and Grounder showed up as well.

"Well, well, it's a giant talking egg who lacks that of slim fast." Sora joked.

"Silence!" Eggman growled. "I'm Doctor Robotnik, the worlds greatest scientific mind and all of your base are belong to us."

Sora raised his eyebrow. "Someone's been playing too much Zero Wing."

"Shut up!" Eggman growled. "That's not what I meant to say, hold on a second." Eggman began searching through his Egg mobile until he found a note card and read it. "Okay, let's try again. I'm Doctor Robotnik, the worlds greatest scientific mind and Luke I am your father."

Sora and Yoshi broke onto the floor in laughter and Luigi groaned.

"You know you could just say I'm Doctor Robotnik, the worlds greatest scientific mind and I'm going to destroy." Luigi said rolling his eyes. _"And I thought he was smart, idiot."_

"I know that!" Eggman shouted at Luigi. "These bumbling idiots over here suggested I should use more catchy phrases to say when confronting the enemy."

"And did it work your evilness?" Scratch laughed gleefully.

"NO!" Eggman shouted. The robots coward in fear as Eggman turned back to Sora's group. "Anyways, before I was interrupted by two numbskulls, I'm glad to see that you three fools have escaped. But I wish you wouldn't leave because you're my welcomed guess. Not as rude like that Riku. He's such an odd specimen, running off with that girl without even saying good-bye, adios, adieu, or farewell."

"Run to where? Tell me, where did they go?" Sora demanded with a threatening swing of his keyblade.

"Ooh, I'm so scared." Eggman said sarcastically. "I'm being threatened by a kid with a key." He then broke into laughter while Sora made an angered look. "I'll tell you what, since your fates have been sealed I'll tell you where they went. They went to the ruins of Hallow Bastion, where Bowser currently lives."

"What?" Luigi exclaimed. "Bowser lives there?"

"Actually, ever since the heartless appeared it's been sort of his second home." Eggman explained. "After destroying his own word he finally moved with his son to Hallow Bastion where they live. However, I can't allow you three to go there."

"And what's going to stop us?" Sora smirked with confidence.

"Oh, well don't mind me." Eggman said. "Go all you want but if you do you'll miss out on what we do to that meddling hedgehog's plucky sidekick."

"What do you mean?" Luigi asked suspiciously.

Eggman moved out of the way to reveal something that shocked everyone. It was Tails and he was tied up against a pole.

"Tails!" Sora cried.

"Don't worry about me, Sora." Tails told Sora. "You've got to get out of here while you still have the chance!"

"Silence!" Eggman shouted. "So, you have an option; escape now and rescue your girlfriend or stay here and no harm will come to the boy."

"Go!" Tails called to his friends. "Don't worry about me!"

Sora thought about if for a minute. He was one who did not want to leave a friend behind and upon looking at Tails he could see tears streaming down his face. Tails might be an intelligent fox but he was still a kid. Sora could see that Tails was too scared and although he could picture Sonic running to the rescue, something may happen before he could get there. Sora sighed and put his head down, making his keyblade disappear. Luigi and Yoshi both understood what Sora was doing but however Luigi was being his old cowardly self again.

"Okay, you two stay here and I'll just tip toe out of here." Luigi gulped nervously. He tried to leave but heartless surrounded him. "Doh! I think I'll stay here instead."

"I knew you would see things my way." Eggman smirked proudly. "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. Hand over the keyblade and I'll spare your lives. Be glad I show some compassion unlike the heartless. Of course Chaos could use an appetizer before his meal."

"Chaos?" Yoshi whimpered nervously.

Just then the group looked up to see the shark like creature floating below the airship.

"That's Chaos?" Sora exclaimed.

"Yes, so, would you rather be digested by Chaos or hand over the keyblade?" Eggman asked giving Sora the choice.

Sora thought about his decision carefully and then realized something. He thought that it's a risky chance but he was willing to take it

"No way!" Sora shouted. "I'll never let you get your hands on it!"

Eggman got angry upon hearing that. "What? How dare you! Very well! Since you seem so persistent to die, I'll let you have the honor of being Chaos's first victim."

"Okay." Sora nodded with bravery in his voice.

"No!" Tails cried. "Leave him out of this!"

"Kid, you're crazy!" Luigi said shocked.

"Sora, no leave Yoshi!" Yoshi cried.

"Scratch! Grounder! You dispose of them while I get the sixth emerald from that bird." Eggman told his two cronies. He then began to float away. "Don't fail me or else!"

"Yes, your evilness!" Grounder said with a salute. "I'll take care of it with no problem."

"You mean I will." Scratch corrected.

"You? It's me that's going to get it done!" Grounder argued.

"I'm going to get the glory! Ha! Ha!" Scratch laughed.

"No me!"

"No me!"

"Um, guys?" Sora interrupted. "How about you both do it?"

"Oh, right...um...yeah...together." Scratch said rubbing his head.

"_Why does he want to get it over with right away?" _Tails thought. He then realized something. _"Wait a minute! Am I thinking what he's thinking? Could this plan actually work?" _

Sora was forced back to the edge of the Egg Carrier with Scratch and Grounder forcing him back. Yoshi and Luigi tried to help but the heartless surrounded them from all over. Sora looked back down to see the Chaos creature waiting for him below. Sora then wondered if he couldn't do it, that he would fail. But then he heard a voice.

"_Sora, a guy who is way past cool like you doesn't give up." _Sonic said in Sora's mind. _"Just believe in the Chaos Emerald, your friends, and the most important person, yourself. If you can find it then you'll fly!"_

Sora inhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He then jumped off the Egg Carrier, falling right towards Chaos who was waiting with an opened mouth. Luigi and Yoshi looked in horror as their friend leaped to his doom. Yoshi bursted into tears and cried and hugged Luigi.

"Sora go bye-bye!" Yoshi cried in Luigi's arms.

"Oh, Sora." Luigi said sadly. "You were so brave, kid. You'll always be remembered."

Scratch and Grounder ran around in a circle singing. "We did it! We did it! We did it! Dr. Eggman shall reward us because we did it!"

Luigi got more sad and put his head down while still hugging a sad Yoshi. Just then Luigi looked back up and saw something. His eyes widened and he got excited.

"It...it can't be." Luigi gasped. He then poked Yoshi's back. "Yoshi. Yoshi. Listen, I want you to turn around and look up."

"But...but...Yoshi...miss...Sora..." Yoshi sniffled.

"Not for long." Luigi said in a singy-songy voice.

Yoshi turned around and looked up and what he saw next got him really excited. Tails looked up and gasped happily as well.

"Hey, what's everyone so happy about?" Grounder asked the group.

"Turn around and you'll see." Called Sora.

The robots turned around to see Sora and he was flying in the air.

"What?" Scratch shrieked. "That's impossible! You can fly?"

"Hey, in this world, I've learned that anything is possible." Sora responded. He then turned to his friends. "Guys, believe in yourselves and the power of the Chaos Emeralds will activate!"

"Let's try it!" Yoshi cheered.

The two close their eyes and focus on themselves when all of a sudden they began lifting off the ground.

"Hey! It's working!" Luigi cried. As he flew up he bumped his head into a wing of the ship. "Ow! Why me?"

"Yoshi a birdie!" Yoshi cheered.

"Hey, don't take one more move or else." Grounder threatened.

"Or else what you big losers?" Called a voice.

A blue blur then ran by Tails which untied and freed him. The blur dashes up to the robots revealing itself to be Sonic.

"Sonic!" Tails cried. "You're back!"

"Back and ready for action." Sonic smirked to Tails. He then turned to the robots. "Long time no see fellas. You two look just as dumb and pathetic as I remember you."

"Dumb?" Grounder said offended.

"Pathetic?" Scratch said offended.

"And has anyone ever told you two that you smell and your ugly?" Sonic continued. The robots shook their heads. "Then let me be the first, you smell bad and your ugly."

"Grrrr, get him!" Scratch squawked.

The robots tried to attack Sonic but he dashed away and the two ran into each other. "Adios!"

Sonic ran over to Tails who gave him a high five and Sora joined.

"Sonic, thanks." Sora smiled. "Because of you I was able to fly."

"Not because of me." Sonic disagreed. "Because you believed in yourself and harnessed the power of chaos. Besides, you didn't think I'd leave you and Tails behind, did ya?"

Luigi and Yoshi flew over to join Sora as the two robots got up to see our heros ready to fight. They both backed away nervously.

"Um, maybe we should let Gamma and the heartless finish them off. Right, Scratch?" Grounder laughed nervously.

"Um, yeah, right." Scratch agreed. The two robots then ran for the hills as the heartless appeared around our heros.

Sora also saw a green crystal appear in the sky and he grabbed it. "Hey, it is an update crystal and it's green. It could mean an update for our cure spells."

"Let's try it and fast!" Luigi said with a rushed tone.

The crystal activated and hit both Sora and Luigi giving them an updated magic spell for Cure now known as Cura. As Sora flew back down, E-102 Gamma entered the area with the heartless.

"Stop! Residence is futile!" Gamma said.

"You guys deal with the shadow guys while I deal with bolts for brains." Sonic instructed.

The group nodded and the battle began. With their new ability to fly Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi had a much easier time battling the heartless. Some new heartless such as Egg Mobiles (Little round egg mobiles like Eggman's) and Air Pirates (Heartless with wings) attacked. One attacked Sora but he did a back flip over it and kicked against a wall and pushed off it. He kicked it into the air and flew after it. The Air Pirate tried to attack with a punch but Sora blocked it with his keyblade. He then grabbed its wing and threw it into another wall. Two flew at Yoshi who has his arms crossed and smirked. The two were about to attack and when he flew up the two heartless bonked their heads into each other. Yoshi kicked both of them down to the ground.

Luigi was in the middle of a dogfight between him and an Egg Mobile heartless. It shot lasers at him but he used his updated Aero spell do deflect most of the blasts. Luigi flew behind a pole and peeked out firing ice spells while the Egg Carrier rolled around in the air dodging it. It fired more beams which Luigi dodged and spun his body all around and continued moving quickly, dodging the attacks. Luigi shot a fire spell which hit the Egg Mobile, sending it flying. Sora slashed through it with Sonic Wave finishing it off. Three more air pirates attacked but Sora kicked one, bounced off it and slashed another and shot a fire spell at another one. Gamma fired mini missiles at Sonic who dodged it effortlessly.

Sonic then sarcastically yawned. "Is that all you got? Boy, Eggman's robots are getting pretty rusty these days."

"Do not under estimate my power." Gamma said. Gamma charged a laser and fired it at Sonic who dodged it. He jumped into the air and kicked Gamma in the chest. He tried to grab Sonic but he jumped over Gamma and curled into a ball and attacked the back side of him. Gamma began sparking from the impact. "Danger! Danger!"

"My turn!" Tails said appearing in his Tornado. "Take this!" Tails fired a missile at Gamma which sent him flying into a wall. Gamma was so damaged that electricity was flowing out of him. "Finish him, Sonic!"

"Right!" Sonic cried. He charged at Gamma ready to deliver the final blow when Amy came out of nowhere and blocked Sonic's way. From the way she was positioned with her arms out, Sonic could tell she was protecting the robot. "Amy! What are you doing? Out of the way! That's one of Eggman's goons!"

"No!" Amy protested. "He's not like the other robots. He helped me earlier before I was captured again. He's nice! Don't hurt him."

Sonic sighed and smiled. He knew that even though he couldn't stand her, he could still understand her feelings. "Okay, whatever you say. I guess you have your reasons."

"Oh, Sonic!" She said hugging Sonic. "Your so kind!"

"Ah! Amy germs!" Sonic cried. He then backed away from her. "That was a quick recovery!"

"Well, where ever you go, I go." Amy giggled.

Sora's group flew down to meet up with Sonic's group. But before they could celebrate the Egg Carrier began to shake.

"What happening?" Yoshi panicked.

"The Egg Carrier is losing altitude just like we planned." Tails explained. "We should get out of here!"

"Tails, take Amy and get out of here!" Sonic told Tails.

"Wait, what about you?" Amy asked nervously.

"I'm going to find that Eggman and scramble him." Sonic responded.

"Not alone!" Sora said. "This is no longer your fight! We're going with you!"

"Thanks fellas." Sonic smirked. "Even I need some help some of the time."

"Sonic..." Tails said sadly. "Are you going to be okay?"

Sonic put his hands on Tails' shoulders and smiled warmly. "Don't worry bro. I'll be fine because no one can take me down. Just get Amy out of here, okay?"

Tails smiled at Sonic with confidence in his eyes. "You got it, Sonic! Leave it to me!"

"Thanks, little buddy." Sonic nodded. "I knew I could count on you." He then turned to Sora's group. "Let's get going fellas!"

Sora's group nodded and left with Sonic to find Eggman.

Amy sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Oh, Sonic. You're so brave!"

Tails rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, Amy. Let's get out of here."

Amy looked back to see that Gamma was functioning normally and he pressed a button on his chest and a floating, small jet pack activated and he tool off. Tails got into the tornado and Amy hopped on back. Tails started up the engine and the plane took off into the sky as the Egg Carrier slowly made its decent towards Station Square. Meanwhile, Sora and the gang arrived outside of the door where Eggman's control room was.

"Let's get him!" Sora said.

"Wait!" Sonic said stopping Sora. "We'll get him out here." Sonic then snickered. "Watch this trick." He then knocked on the door and cleared his throat. Eggman approached the door and put his ear to it.

"Scratch? Grounder?" Eggman asked. "Is that you? Did you take care of them?"

"Yes, your evilness." Sonic said perfectly imitating Scratch. "They've all been thrown overboard, every last single one."

"Good, I'm coming out." Eggman announced.

Sora and Sonic both stood next to each side of the door and pressed their bodies up against the wall. p Eggman ran out but he was too excited to even turn around. He stopped and curiously looked around wandering where his henchmen were. Sonic snuck up behind Eggman and curled into a ball and hit his behind with a sharp part. Eggman yelped in pain and jumped into the sky and fell back down. He stood up and turned to see everyone laughing at him.

"You're so gullible doctor." Sonic laughed.

"S-sonic, curse you!" Eggman growled at the hedgehog.

"Hey, Eggman!" Sonic called to the evil doctor. "How do you want your faced pounded? Right-side or sunny side-up."

"Fool! You won't stop me!" Eggman growled. He then took out a remote and pressed a button causing the Egg Mobile to show up. He jump into it and floated away.

"Dang, does this guy have to ride that thing every second of his life?" Sora asked shocked.

"No, he's just fat because it's a genetic thing." Sonic said sarcastically.

The gang chased after Eggman until they arrived on the giant green glassed platform. There, the gang saw the evil water creature Chaos again but he wasn't himself. He transformed into a giant monster with tentacles around its body.

"What is that?" Luigi exclaimed.

"That's the Chaos creature." Sora responded. "The same one that tried to eat us."

"Shoot!" Sonic said angrily. "Eggman must have fed him two of the emeralds!"

"Very perceptive." Eggman said floating next to Sonic. "Chaos is more powerful then ever and not even you four can stop him. I even found his missing tail."

"This guy is going down powerful or not." Sora cried getting his keyblade ready.

"You might want to reconsider that." Luigi gulped nervously.

Just then a giant purple cat that wore a brown belt, brown gloves, and black shoes walked in with a confused look.

"Frogy?" The cat said with a stupefied expression. Inside Chaos was a small green frog that floated around. "Frogy! I must save him!"

"Don't worry." Sonic assured the cat. "I'll help your friend out."

"Destroy them!" Eggman commanded his beast.

Chaos was about to attack when something was holding him back. The group looked to see that Knuckles grabbed on to one of the tentacles and was holding it with all his might. Upon seeing this Eggman retreated to back of the Egg Carrier.

"Knuckles!" Luigi shouted.

"Guys, stop Eggman!" Knuckles called to his friends. "I have a score to settle with this guy!"

"Thanks man!" Sonic called back with appreciation. "You sure you can handle him?"

Knuckles nodded and the foursome left to go after Eggman. The group arrived back at the main deck where Eggman and a group of heartless were waiting for them.

"You brats!" Eggman growled. "You ruined my plans, so now I shall crush all of you!"

"We'll see about that Eggman." Sonic smirked. "Bring it on!"

"Destroy them!"

Luigi and Yoshi charged at the heartless while Sora and Sonic charged at Eggman. Luigi and Yoshi used their magic and fighting skills and the new flight ability to take them down. Eggman pressed a button which caused the Egg Mobile to release a giant brown ball on a chain.

"Man that is so retro days." Sonic said charging at Eggman.

The ball swung at Sonic who dodged the attack easily. The ball swung left at him but Sonic jumped on it and rode it around.

"Fool! This isn't a joke!" Eggman snarled.

"Eggman, the jokes on you!" Sonic smirked.

Sora used his keyblade to destroy the chain which caused the ball to fall. Eggman got angry and pressed another button which fired drills at them. Sonic dodged them while Sora deflected them back. Eggman dodged the drills that came back and pressed another button which transformed his ship into a giant hand with spikes on top.

"Now, I'll pound you into the ground!"

"Man, he needs to be more original." Sonic said rolling his eyes.

Eggman grabbed both Sora and Sonic and threw them into a wall. They flew up into the air and both flew back down, double kicking the Egg mobile. It spun down to the ground and floated back up firing lasers which both heros dodged. He then pressed another button which transformed it into a fighting robot with a sword. It charged at Sora who clashed with its sword. It tried to fire a laser gun at him but Sonic kicked it out of the way. The robot clashed with Sora again who spun out of the way and kicked it off the edge. It floated back up and took to the sky as Sonic and Sora followed it along with Luigi and Yoshi. The robot took out a giant laser gun and fired it at our heros hitting everyone and sending them crashing to the ground.

The hit was very powerful that the foursome could barley stand up as the robot floated down.

"Luigi, could you use that updated cure spell?" Sora asked Luigi while he panted.

"Yeah, but this guy may try to stop me before I get a chance." Luigi said weakly.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Eggman laughed manically. " The moment I've been waiting for is here." He then pointed the gun at a weak Sonic who couldn't even try to run. "Farewell, Sonic the Hedgehog." Before it could fire, a laser came out of nowhere and knocked the gun out of its hands. "What?"

The group looked up to see the Tornado flying back in with Tails waving to them. "Hey, guys! Looks like you could use some help!"

"Tails!" Yoshi said happily.

"You're my hero little bro." Sonic chuckled weakly.

Sora and Luigi used their magic to cure everyone else giving them full power again. The five surround the robot not giving it a chance to escape.

"Uh-oh." Eggman said worryingly.

The robot tried to fly up but the group flew up following. Sora flew above the robot and kicked it to the ground. Luigi tried to use a green punch but the robot took its sword and swung it around, out of control. Luigi was lucky enough to dodged the attack. Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate the sword. The robot tried to run again but Tails flew in with the tornado in robot mode and hits it with the propeller. The robot fell back and was falling to the ground with a screaming Eggman inside.

"I'll finish it off!" Sonic cried. He spun into a ball again and Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi formed a triangle around the area where the robot was falling.

Luigi picked up the ball and threw it at the robot slashing a piece of metal off. Yoshi smacked the ball back with his tail and it slashed a part of the robot off again. Sora took his keyblade out and got into the stance of a baseball batter.

"This is it." Sora said to himself. "Bottom of the ninth. Score is tied. Mad striker Sora is up at bat and the fans go wild."

"Go Sora!" Yoshi cheered.

Tails and Luigi rolled their eyes with a chuckle as Sora swung his keyblade at Sonic which sent him spinning into the robot. The robot exploded and Eggman went flying out into space screaming but he quickly pressed a button which stopped him. He then started to float away.

"Eggman! Come back here!" Sonic demanded.

"Until we'll meet again, Sonic!" Eggman said flying away.

"Oh, yeah?" Sonic said about to run. Just then a hand touched Sonic's shoulder and he turned around to see Knuckles. "Knuckles?"

"Don't worry Sonic." Knuckles smirked. "I've already taken care of it. With a little help from the Chaos emeralds and one dumb creature...well, you'll see. Just watch."

Everyone looked up to see Eggman trying to get away when all of a sudden Chaos floated in front of him but he now looked much shorter and had a more human shape look except for the head and one claw.

"Chaos?" Eggman asked stunned. "What are doing?" The Chaos roared at Eggman and Eggman screamed like a little sissy and flew away fast with Chaos on his tail. "I hate that hedgehog!"

"How did you do that?" Sora asked Knuckles.

"Using the Chaos Emeralds energy I was able to alternate his brain waves so he now thinks that Eggman is an emerald." Knuckles explained.

Everyone else started laughing as they watched Eggman being chased off into space. The Egg Carrier was slowly making its way towards the world but Tails explained that it was heading right for an ocean, so no innocent people would get hurt. Sora also received an Ansem Report and a new badge called "Ars Arcanum" which allowed Sora to perform a string of combos and finish it with a powerful strike. After the battle was over Knuckles left to get the Master Emerald back together while the others stayed behind for a moment. Sora walked forward and put his head down. He knew the truth, Kairi was gone but deep down inside of him he wasn't going to give up hope. Yoshi stepped forward a little and made a sad look.

"Kairi, no wake up." Yoshi said. "So, maybe that mean Kairi losses..."

"Quite!" Luigi snapped.

Sonic walked up to Sora and put his hand on his back. "Sora, you okay?"

"I can't believe it." Sora whispered. He then looked up and smiled. "I still can't believe I actually flew. It was the most amazing thing I've ever done!"

Luigi rolled his eyes upon his eyes. _"This kid has way too many mood swings." _

Sora ran over to Yoshi, picked him up by his under arms, and swung him around. "I felt so free! So alive!"

"Yoshi feel alive too." Yoshi cheered.

Sonic smirked and Luigi chuckled.

He then set Yoshi down and sighed saying. "What are the chances of Kairi believing all this? Probably zero."

"Hey, bring Kairi here next time and she can try it herself." Sonic said.

"I understand." Sora said turning back to his friend. "If you believe anything is possible. I never used to believe that until I met you all. I can't wait to tell Kairi everything that happened. I have so many stories I want to share with."

"_That kid." _Luigi thought. _"Such a carefree spirit sometimes. He feels like nothing has happened. But with confidence like that_, _I'm pretty sure the keyblade choose well."_

Meanwhile, Tails was looking at a monitor on his computer when he gasped. "Sonic! Come here!"

Sonic quickly ran over to Tails to what was wrong.

"Bro, is everything okay?" Sonic asked concerned.

"It's so strange." Tails responded. "The tornado is picking up strange energy signals coming from the casino at Station Square."

"I hope Eggman is not behind it." Sonic said worried. "We should head over there." He then called to Sora's group. "Guys, I don't think we're finished yet."

"Why?" Yoshi asked curiously.

"I'm picking up some strange signals coming from the casino at Station Square." Tails said. "Something is up. We need to check it out."

"Okay, we'll fly together then." Sora nodded. "Come on guys!"

Luigi and Yoshi nodded and Sonic jumped onto the tail of the Tornado as it transformed back into a plane. The plane took off and Sora's group flew into the air and followed. On the way Luigi wondered about something.

"What ever happened to that cat?"

A small getaway plane was also making its descend towards Station Square as the gang flew down. Inside the plane was the big cat along with a frog next to him.

"I'm so glad we found this plane Frogy." Big said. "And to think I don't even know fly a plane." Sure enough the plane was on its side the entire time. "Hey, Frogy, I'm hungry."

Meanwhile, back at the entrance to Hallow Bastion, a familiar figure with a lifeless body entered the area. The figure was however so weak that he kneeled over and panted. He appeared to be out of breath, but slowly and surely, he made his way into the castle none the less.


	23. Shocking Tails from the Pikachu Cup

**Chapter XXII: Shocking Tails from the Pikachu Cup.**

An half-hour has past ever since the gang had escaped the Egg Carrier. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi were using their new flight ability to fly back to Station Square. Sonic rode along on the Tornado with Tails driving it. The gang finally arrived down on the world when they saw a giant city. It was a hustling city similar to that of New York city. Even in the night it was busy, but very beautiful. Sora noticed many advertisements and billboards that were mostly about cute little creatures called a Chao. The gang arrived at Station Square at 7 at night where Amy was waiting for them on the balcony of a place called the "Station Square Hotel" Across from it was another building that was lit up and had the words "CASINO" written on it. Above the words was a mysterious, giant, yellow button.

The group landed on the building while Amy ran up to them. She then hugged Sonic again placing her head in his chest.

"Oh, Sonic." She sighed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Did you know you were named after a dinosaur?" Sonic said escaping Amy's grip.

"Really? An Amysaurs?" Amy asked Sonic curiously.

"No, an eye'sore'rus." Sonic joked.

Everyone but Amy who got offended and Luigi who got jealous started laughing.

"Aw, come on!" Luigi complained. "You call that funny? Here's one; why did the meatball cross the road?"

"So, where is the casino Tails?" Sora asked quickly trying to change the subject.

"I hate it when he ignores me like that." Luigi grumbled.

"Over there!" Tails said pointing south of Sora. The group looked over to see the Casino. "It's so beautiful at night. But anyways, I've been doing some observation on it and my conclusion is that a strange energy patterns resides within. Somehow, that yellow switch above the words some how has something to do with it. Next I figured that if we cause pressure at a 90 angle making sure to hit the diameter of the button. Also, I multiplied the area of the distance between the energy and the button itself discovering that it's..."

"Tails, English!" Sonic interrupted annoyed.

"Okay, okay." Tails said raising his voice. "Keep your shirt on."

"But he no wear shirt." Yoshi pointed out.

"It's called a figure of speech kid." Luigi groaned rolling his eyes.

"Um...where was I?" Tails asked forgetting what he said. "Oh, right! In laymen's term just hit the button three times and that should cause the energy to surface."

"Let's give it a shot!" Sora said with a nod.

The trio flew over to the Casino with Sonic who got back on the Tornado with Tails.

"I'd take running over flying any day." Sonic smiled. He then looked down at Tails. "And I guess you would say the same about running."

"Not true." Tails disagreed. "I loved running ever since I first met you Sonic."

"_Tails has always looked up to me." _Sonic thought. _"We've been everywhere and he's like a brother. But I would like to see him go on his own adventure one day and become the hero he's long to become."_

The group arrived at the Casino where they saw the button. Sora pressed the button three times and then a bright light flashed in his eyes causing him to fly back.

"Sora!" Luigi cried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora groaned with his eyes closed. "That startled me and blinded me for a second." He slowly opened as he tried to resists the flashing dots he was seeing in his eyes. When he fully opened them he looked to see the light had dimmed and it formed a keyhole. "A keyhole! Totally unexpected."

"Kid, don't joke around and seal the keyhole already!" Luigi said impatiently.

Sora nodded to Luigi and he took his keyblade out. He pointed it directly at the keyhole and the weapon began to glow. It fired a little laser out and came in contact with the keyhole, making the familiar locking noise. The bright lights from the casino got even brighter and was probably the brightest thing in the city. As the light dimmed, the group noticed that the keyhole disappeared from sight. A navigation piece from the Toad Express then popped out as well as a summon gem, but it was empty. Sora grabbed it but upon looking down at it he got sad.

"I hope Toadsworth and the others are alright." Sora sighed sadly. "They were last seen falling into Station Square."

"Don't worry, Sora." Tails said warmly. "It will be okay."

"Well, we can't go anywhere without a vessel." Luigi pointed out.

"Master Luigi!" Called a voice. The group then turned to see Toadsworth coming out of the casino with a bag full of money.

"Toadsworth!" The trio exclaimed. They flew down to greet their friend.

"Oh, man." Sora sighed with relief. "We're so glad you're okay."

"Ho! Ho!" Toadsworth chortled. "No problem! Luckily, the Toad Express was able to float in the water."

"Hey, were you gambling old man?" Sonic asked arriving with Tails.

"Oh, well I gamble now and then." Toadsworth responded. "I really don't play much but I somehow hit a jackpot when I played the slots a few times."

"Dang, that's lucky." Sora said amazed. "That's like...Luigi actually telling a good joke."

"Hey!" Luigi shouted.

"Now we need to find a mechanic to fix up the Toad Express." Toadsworth said. "It was a bit damaged. I heard that a fox is the best mechanic in town."

"That's me!" Tails cried happily. "I'll take a look at it, free of charge."

"Such a nice boy, thank you." Toadsworth said happily. "Follow me."

The group left with Toadsworth for the Toad Express. Meanwhile, a figure in the shadows was walking through Hallow Bastion. He was panting and was tiredly walking through a dark hallway. Inside his mind he could see Young Riku and Young Sora inside the secret area talking to each other.

"Sora?" Young Riku said turning to Young Sora.

"Hm? What's up?"

"I've been thinking." Young Riku began. "When we grow up, let's ditch this place."

"Huh?" Young Sora asked in surprise.

"We'll get off this island and go on real adventures." Young Riku said excitedly. "So, we don't need to play these kiddie games anymore."

"That's an awesome idea!" Young Sora agreed. "But until we're older what should we do now in a boring place like this?" The two began to walk away when Sora got an idea. "Hey, you know that girl at the mayor's house that just moved here? She came here on the night of a meteor storm. I remember when..." He then stopped to see Young Riku turning away from him. "Riku? Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a sec." Young Riku responded.

Young Sora just shrugged and walked out of the cave leaving Young Riku behind. He stood a the mysterious brown door to see a keyhole in the middle of it. He walked slowly towards the door and put his hand out to it. As his hand very lightly tapped the keyhole a flash entered his mind and he woke up back into the present. He was staring at a light above the ceiling in the chapel of Hallow Bastion. His hands and knees were on the ground and he took slow breaths and he saw sweat dripping down from his long hair onto the ground. He then heard pounding footsteps and looked up to see the evil Koopa King looking down at him.

"And everyone thought I was the brainless one." Bowser groaned. "You could have called at least or maybe I didn't give you my e-mail address. Either way it was a big mistake to come here without a ship. Careful, because you were let off easy, but next time your heart may pay the ultimate price. Relying too much on the dark powers is a flaw which will cause you to lose your heart. Try to use better judgement next time."

Before Riku could respond Kammy Koop, Bowser's loyal servant entered. She was a short, elder turtle with white hair, glasses, and wore a purple witch outfit. She whispered into his ear and the evil king nodded. She then left the room while Riku slowly stood up with a curious look.

"What's going on?" Riku asked.

"An intruder made it all the way to the castle." Bowser responded. "We destroyed his world awhile ago, but his heart somehow managed to survive. He is a rare case indeed and troublesome. When we took the princess from his world he managed to follow us through sheer force. He has a strong heart indeed but don't worry because his power can't even come close to the untapped power you posses."

"What power?" Riku asked suspiciously.

"The power that lies deep inside of you." Bowser explained. He then took out his Star Rod and pointed it at Riku. "Now, boy, I shall awaken that power and you shall realize the full potential of it."

The Star Rod fired a gold laser at Riku which caused him to glow. He clenched his fists together as he felt a stream of power being released into his body.

"This power! This my true power! I am unstoppable!" Riku shouted.

He then laughed manically as yellow electric energy waves flew around the room. Bowser just rolled his eyes and walked away.

"I'm going to go watch TV." He said to himself. "I wonder if they have anything good on pay-per-view."

Back at Station Square, the group was at the docks as Tails came out from the side of the Toad Express with a toolbox.

"There!" He sighed wiping his forehead. "A few screws were loose, but it was no problem."

"Thanks kid." Luigi said happily. "You are very handy."

"Aw, it was nothing." Tails blushed. "All in a days work."

Amy walked up to Sonic with a sad look. "Sonic, are you leaving again?"

"Hey, I can never stop running." Sonic smirked. "It's in my blood. I don't have time to stand around and get embraced by Amy germs. But I'll tell you what, maybe we can go to Twinkle Park sometimes."

"Oh, goodie!" Amy cried hugging Sonic.

"Hold on!" Sonic panicked trying to get loose. "Do the words maybe and sometimes mean anything to you?"

Tails made an envy look at Sonic and Amy again. Luigi noticed this and started laughing but shut right up when Tails gave him a dirty look. He didn't feel like getting wacked by a propeller again.

"Well, time to take our leave." Sora announced.

"Master Sora, we have a problem." Toadsworth said shaking his head. "We never found the pilot when he jumped out of the plane. And we don't have a co-pilot or another one on deck. We can't leave unless we find a new one."

"I could drive." Luigi said excitedly raising his hand.

"No!" Everyone else shouted at Luigi.

"Ouch." Sonic said. "Harsh." He then got an idea. He looked over at Tails who was putting his toolbox away. Sonic has always looked out for Tails and he watched him grow up ever since he first met him. He flashed back to the first day he ever met Tails.

He was running through a forest at his super speed when he stopped to see a young orange fox crying with his eyes in his hands. Sonic walked over to the fox and bent down to him.

"Hey, little fella?" Sonic said warmly. "What's the matter?"

The young fox shyly looked up at the hedgehog and sniffled a little bit. "I can't get back up into my bird's nest."

"Bird's nest?" Sonic asked with confusion.

"Yeah, you see I can fly so I must be a bird." The young fox explained.

"Bird?" Sonic laughed. "You're no bird, you're a fox. You lost little fella?"

"Yes..." The young fox began, but stopped upon realizing who he was talking to. He stood up and got excited. "Oh, my gosh! You're Sonic the Hedgehog! I've always wanted to meet you! You're my hero!"

"Ah, I get that a lot." Sonic smirked with pride. "So, you don't have family, huh?" The young fox just nodded sadly. "Then you can come with me."

"Really?" The young fox asked with widen eyes.

"Sure." Sonic nodded. "We can be best bros. I'll look out for ya, kid. I'm going to make you way past cool."

"Thank you so much!" The young fox cheered. "I'm Miles Prower!"

"Rule number 1 of way past cool." Sonic said holding one finger up. "You need to have a cool name." Sonic then noticed the two tails Miles had. "Hey, you have two Tails!"

"My tails!" Miles exclaimed. "You saw them!" He then put his head down sadly. "Now you'll probably laugh at me, just like all the other creatures."

"No way!" Sonic disagreed. "I think having two tails is way past cool." He then thought about something for a minute. He then aroused with an idea. "That's it! From now on your new name is going to be Tails. Sound okay?"

"Tails?" Miles asked confused. He then smiled and jumped up and down. "Yay! Tails! I like it!"

"Then let's go!" Sonic smirked. "Up, over, and gone!"

Sonic sped out of sight as Tails followed. "Wait up, Sonic!"

As the flashback ended Sonic walked up to Tails with a warm smile. "Hey, Tails?"

"Yeah, Sonic?" Tails asked responding.

"There is something I want you to do for me." Sonic smiled putting his hands on his little pal's shoulders. "This is very hard for me to say, but...I want you to go along with Sora and his friends."

"What?" Tails cried. "Me? But why?"

"Bro, you're the best pilot I know." Sonic responded. "Plus, I'm sure you can be a great help to Sora. This is your chance to prove that you're a real hero. I'm not forcing you to do this, but if we don't find a pilot soon we could be in grave danger."

Tails smiled and clenched his fist. "I'll do it, Sonic! I won't let you down!"

"That's my bro." Sonic chuckled hugging Tails.

"I've never been away from you before, Sonic." Tails sniffled with a tear streaming down his face. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm proud of you kid." Sonic said warmly. "I'll miss you too. You've grown up so much and I know you'll do just fine." He then turned his attention to Sora. "Hey, Sora. Tails is coming with you guys."

"What?" Sora exclaimed.

"You're looking at an ace pilot here!" Sonic said putting his arm around Tails. "He'll help you guys out! Plus, you call him into battle if you need help."

"Are you sure you want to this kid?" Luigi asked Tails.

"I'm at your serves!" Tails responded.

"Thanks Tails." Yoshi cheered.

"Look after him for me will ya?" Sonic said to Sora.

"Sure, we'll watch out for him." Sora chuckled. He then walked up to Sonic with his hand out. "Well, until we meet again, Sonic."

"Right, I don't believe in the words good-bye." Sonic said reaching for Sora's hand.

Before Sonic could shake it, Sora moved it away from him. "Too slow!"

"Hey!" Sonic cried in surprise. "You've outwitted me!" The two then shook hands and when they removed it Sora looked to see a keychain in his hand. "Looks like something your keyblade can use. Might come in handy."

"Thanks, Sonic." Sora said excepting the gift. "I'll call this one Supersonic."

"And take this badge as well." Sonic said handing Sora a badge. "It's called Glide. When in danger you can slowly glide yourself down from the sky. Plus, it could help reach those hard to reach areas."

"Thanks again."

"And old man work better at those jokes." Sonic told Luigi.

"Why that little!" Luigi growled. "Now I'm angry!"

"Whoa!" Sonic shouted. "Time to move! Up, over, and gone!"

And with that said Sonic dashed out of the area at light speed. Amy ran after him as fast as she could.

"Sonic come back here!" She cried.

"Roadrunner eat your heart out." Sora said.

"How dare he makes fun of my joking power!" Luigi said angrily.

"What power?" Yoshi giggled.

Everyone started laughing and headed for the Toad Express with a grumbling Luigi.

"How come I never get chased by any girls?" Luigi asked Sora.

"One word; jokes." Sora responded with a chuckle.

"Ahh! Stop making fun of me!" Luigi yelled angrily.

"Whoa!" Sora panicked. "In the words of Sonic 'up, over, and gone!'"

Sora ran back into the Toad Express and the others followed. At the front of the ship Tails sat in the seat and began pressing buttons.

"Okay, we're all clear for take off." Tails said observing everywhere. "Everyone be seated, we'll be taking off in a few minutes."

The group nodded and went back into the passenger area. Toadsworth was on the phone when he saw the trio.

"Master Sora." Toadsworth said as Sora sat down. "Professor Oak just called. Another tournament is taking place."

"Good!" Sora said excitedly. "Then let's go and enter it. I want to be ready for when I have to face Riku again."

"Do you really think we can beat Riku?" Luigi asked Sora nervously.

"If we work together as a team and become stronger we can do anything." Sora said assuring.

"You're right!" Luigi said with confidence. "Let's-a-go!"

"Where to guys?" Tails said over the intercom. "Systems are all set and we're ready for take off."

"To the moon, Tails." Yoshi giggled.

"He's kidding." Sora chuckled. "Use the warp drive to take us to Pokemon Coliseum."

"Aye, Aye, Captain." Tails said in a rough pirate voice. "Warp drive activated!"

The Toad Express took to the sky and flew out of the world and flashed into hyper speed. Sonic was seen on a building with his arms crossed and he smiled. He turned away and ran through the town at super speed. A minute later, the Toad Express arrived at Pokemon Coliseum and the gang got ready to depart.

"Thanks for the ride, Tails." Sora said thanking Tails.

"No problem." Tails smiled. "Glad to help. I'll be on board, so just let me know when you're ready to leave."

The trio said good-bye to Tails and Toadsworth and they arrived back at the entrance. There, they ran into Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey, guys." Ash said greeting Sora's group. "I'm glad you made it."

"Pika! Pi!" Pikachu cheered.

"We wouldn't have miss this for the world, kid." Luigi said shaking Ash's hand. "Unless there was pasta involved then I'd take off."

Sora just rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Listen, we're going to see the Professor and get ready."

"We see you soon." Yoshi said waving good-bye.

"By the way, I'm going to be in the next cup you're entering." Ash announced. "So, if you want to claim the prize you'll have to go through me and my Pokemon first."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said putting up his fist with a tough look.

"Could you speak English please?" Luigi asked Pikachu a little annoyed.

"Pika?" Pikachu said confused. "Pika, Pika, Pikachu!"

"That's it!" Luigi shouted grabbing Pikachu. He then began squeezing him. "Come on! Enough of this Pika, Pika!"

"Um, Luigi, I don't think you should be doing that." Sora warned Luigi.

In fact Pikachu was building up electricity so much that he released it all which shocked Luigi. Finally, Pikachu stopped and Luigi was black and dusty. He coughed up smoke and fell over. Sora used a Cura spell to recover Luigi back to full health. Luigi got up and was ready to attack him again when Sora and Yoshi both held him back.

"That little...I swear I'm going to get a giant mouse trap and..."

"Cool it!" Sora snapped at Luigi. He then nervously turned to Ash and Pikachu. "Um, sorry, fellas. Luigi gets cranky sometime when he doesn't get his daily pasta in."

"Don't worry about it." Ash replied. "Pikachu is used to that all the time."

"Pika." Pikachu said with a sigh.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash told Pikachu. "We need to get going or we'll miss our entrance." Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "Guys, good luck and we hope to face you."

"And Yoshi look forward to it." Yoshi said excitedly.

The gang said good-bye to Ash and Pikachu and headed for the entrance. Today was another mini event so people were looking around at all the mini booth stores set up around the area. Team Rocket appeared from behind the bushes near by as they saw our three heros walk into the building.

"It looks like those twerps are going to end up facing Ash and Pikachu." James snickered

"Then we'll be ready to capture Pikachu and present him da boss." Meowth said with a sinister look.

"Come on, you two." Jesses said sneaking out. "Let's get into the building."

Jesse and Meowth both left the area following the trio. James was about to leave when a voice addressed him. "Hey, boy! Boy, come here!"

James looked to his left and saw a man at one of the booths calling to him. "Are you addressing me?"

"Yes, you come here." The man responded. James curiously walked over the booth were the man was. Below him was a tank that contained a giant red, scaly fish. "I want you to take a look at this, Pokemon."

James looked down to see the fish who was staring back at him. "A Magikarp?"

"Quite healthy looking isn't he?"

"Yes...um...very." James said a bit skeptical. _"There's something very familiar about all this_."

"I look at you and I see you have a lot of potential, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret." The man said. He then put his head close to James and whispered. "This Pokemon is like a gold mine on water."

"Gold mine?" James asked getting interested in the conversation.

"Yes, a Magikarp lays one thousand eggs at a time." The man explained. "Each one of those thousand lays another thousand. One thousand times one thousand is one million. Those million lays a thousand more giving it a billion Pokemon."

"A billion?" James exclaimed.

"Selling one Magikarp gives you one hundred dollars." The man continued. "You could be the richest thing alive!"

"Richest?" James laughed gleefully. "I could buy anything I want! I'll be richer then the guy who invented the internet!" He then laughed in his girly way. "Rich! Rich! Rich!"

"Normally I would charge a hundred dollars, but for you I will throw in an egg laying set, child care set, and an education set for only three hundred dollars!" The man offered.

"I'll take it!" James cried excitedly.

"I can see you're going to be a very rich man." The man chuckled. James grabbed the fish and ran off laughing gleefully. The man laughed. "What a sap! I can't believe he fell for the same thing again!"

Back inside the coliseum, Oak was waiting impatiently for Sora's arrival. "Oh, where are they? They're late!"

He then looked up to see Sora running in with Luigi and Yoshi panting all the way. The trio finally stopped to catch their breath when they looked up to see Oak.

"Sorry we're late Professor Oak." Sora sighed. "We got here as quickly as we could. Someone just had to have a pasta to go before we came here." He then gave a dirty look at Luigi.

"What? I was hungry." Luigi said angrily.

"Look, the first match starts in two minutes so you better get moving!" Oak shouted at the group. "How are you three suppose to become the champions if you're just fooling around?"

"Hey, I don't deserve this backtalk from a science geek!" Luigi shouted back. Yoshi then started crying. "Now look what you've done! You made the kid cry!"

Sora picked up Yoshi and hugged him. "Don't cry Yoshi. He didn't mean to yell."

"Sorry." Oak apologized. "I've been meeting with other professors from the Johto region. I've been stressed out so forgive me for being a bit paranoid."

"Okay, sorry I yelled too." Luigi smiled.

"And I didn't mean to make Yoshi upset."

"It...okay." Yoshi sniffled.

"Look, we're going to get ready, so we're heading in." Sora said putting Yoshi down.

"Be careful though." Oak warned. "A lot of tough opponents have entered including Ash."

"Yeah, we know." Sora said. "I'm actually excited. I can't wait to face these guys! Let's go!"

The trio ran into the next room getting ready for their first match. Oak watched them enter with a smile.

"_I've never met a person who is so enthusiastic." _Oak thought. _"He might be the one who will win this whole tournament. But I must remember that Ash has taken part as well so I wish them both of luck."_

Sora and the group arrived in the arena to where tons of fans were cheering for them. Some were holding up posters that said "Go Team Sora!"

"Wow! We sure are popular!" Sora said noticing the signs. "We have a lot of fans!"

The man with two flags came out as the group walked to the center. Heartless appeared on the other side including gargoyles and shadows. The group got ready to fight by getting their weapons ready.

"Let the match begin!" The flag man announced.

The heartless attacked our heros with full power but our heros used their news moves to beat them back. Sora used his new badge ability Ars Arcanum which caused him to do a string of combos at his opponents. His moves were so fast that the heartless had no chance to dodge the attack. Luigi shot a blizzard spell freezing up a group of heartless while Yoshi shot more eggs knocking them over from the sky. Sora used a string of combos on heartless both ground and airborne. The battle didn't last too long and the trio easily won and moved onto the next round. Team Sora encountered more F-Zero heartless and Power Wilds but once again disposed of them. The trio made it through the new few rounds with ease slashing through heartless as they go. They also encountered heartless they've recently fought from Station Square.

During the sixth seed, the trio encountered a mushroom type heartless who just jumped around.

"Is this guy suppose to fight us or something?" Sora asked Luigi confused.

"I've heard of this kind." Luigi said. "These mushroom kinds of heartless are actually not threatening...well most of them. I heard they drop rare items."

"Me likey rare item." Sora said with glee.

"Please, don't talk like that again." Luigi told Sora.

Just then, Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate the mushroom. He swallowed it whole and burped as he fell back.

"Yoshi!" Sora said in shock. "You just ate that whole thing! Is that against the rules?"

Luigi went through his pocket and looked at a mini rule book. "Uh-oh! Unless we don't spit the opponent back out within the next five minutes we're automatically disqualified."

"Yoshi, can you turn it into an egg?" Sora asked with a panic tone to Yoshi.

"Yoshi do." Yoshi nodded. "Besides, it give Yoshi heartburn." Yoshi produced an egg out from behind and Sora cracked it open to reveal the mushroom heartless.

The mushroom heartless looked up at the trio and then ran out of the arena as fast as it could. The trio looked confused at the heartless left.

The flag man waved his flag again saying. "Team Mushroom has forfeited! Victory goes to Team Sora!"

The trio gave each other high fives as they celebrated their victory. The trio took a five minute break getting ready for their next match. As the trio entered they gasped in surprised about who their next opponent was. A familiar blonde, spiky haired warrior.

"Cloud!" Sora cried. "You're our next challenger?"

"Well, this a surprise." Cloud smiled walking up to Sora. "I've been waiting for this."

Luigi gulped nervously as he walked. _"Great, I didn't even make my will yet. I have so many things to live for. I don't deserve this." _

"Aw, Luigi no worry." Yoshi reassured Luigi. "Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi can beat Cloud."

"Do you remember the pain we received from him last time?" Luigi gulped. "Incase you forgot I'm allergic to pain."

"And ghosts, spiders, bills, high places, infections, own shadow..." Yoshi began.

"Stop it!" Luigi interrupted. "You can't prove any of that!"

"I knew we would end up facing each other." Sora said excitedly shaking Cloud's hand. "I've gotten a lot better since we last fought."

"You look it." Cloud said in his low voice. "But I've gotten a lot better, too. Don't expect an easy victory against me. It is my destiny to win this whole thing."

"Think again because we're going to take you down." Sora said drawing his keyblade.

Cloud drew his sword and got into a fighter's stance. "We'll see how far you get."

"Let the match begin!"

Cloud charged at our heros and zoomed past them again. Cloud swiped his sword at them but they all ducked under the attack. Yoshi and Luigi dove left and right and Sora attacked with his keyblade. Cloud blocked the attack and pushed him back, sending him spinning across the arena. He got back up and clashed with Cloud again. Sora did an over the shoulder throw on Cloud sending him over and landing on the ground. Sora tried to attack but Cloud kicked him back and stood up. The two clashed again and they both jumped back. Cloud swiped at Sora but he jumped over the attack and tried to kick him but Cloud grabbed his foot and threw him aside. Luigi shot Fira spells at Cloud who blocked them all with his sword. He then slashed Luigi aside and Yoshi rammed him in the stomach with his head. Cloud used Sonic Blade to knock Yoshi aside and struck hard at Sora.

"Man, he's fast!" Sora exclaimed. He then realized something. "He's using a Sonic Blade attack. Boy, is he going to wish he never gave me that badge."

Sora snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and charged at Cloud as Cloud charged with his Sonic Blade attack. The two kept rushing each other clashing every five seconds. They were going so fast that for an instant everyone couldn't see them.

"Wow! That's like anime fast!" Luigi said amazed.

"Luigi still watch cartoons!" Yoshi sang mockingly. "Luigi still watch cartoons!"

Luigi just grumbled to himself as the battle continued. Cloud and Sora both clashed again and began rapidly clashing and dodging their attacks. Cloud thrust Sora, but he jumped on top of the sword and kicked Cloud sending him dragging across the floor. He got up and punched Sora back but he quickly grabbed onto Cloud's sword. Cloud spun his body around with Sora going along with him. He then took a mighty swing of it sending our hero flying towards a wall. Sora kicked back against the wall and charged back with his keyblade. Cloud flew back as well ready to strike with his sword. The two ran through each other with a ear shattering clash that caused a wave of wind to be sent throughout the area.

The trio charged at Cloud again who jumped up into the air and brought his sword down on them. The group dodge the attack and dirt and ruble rose up from the incredible impact. Sora quickly spun in and clashed with Cloud again and the two went into a blade lock.

"I'm getting some serious Deja Vu." Sora struggled.

Cloud pushed Sora down and fired a dark beam at Luigi and Yoshi knocking them down. Sora pushed back up and went into a blade lock again. Electricity surrounded them as they struggled back and forth when finally the area they were in exploded from the force and the two of them flew back. The two panted as they were both exhausted.

"I don't know how this kid does it." Luigi said amazed.

"I've faced a lot of tough opponents but you Cloud are by far the most challenging." Sora panted.

"_No...I won't let this kid win! This is my destiny! I must be the one to face him, not this boy!" _Cloud thought angrily. He then powered up to his dark from gaining one dark wing.

"Hey, I thought we agreed to not use dark powers." Sora said with disappointment.

"You don't understand." Cloud responded. "I must be the one to win this whole competition! There is something I must do!"

"Look, just because you have a purpose to win doesn't mean we're going to quit." Sora said bravely standing ready. "Right, guys?"

"Kid, can't you show a little companion." Luigi gulped nervously. "I mean the poor guy has his reason so why don't we just..."

Yoshi covered Luigi's mouth and nodded to Sora. Cloud charged with full speed at Sora but he dodged the attack. Cloud tried again, but Luigi cast the updated Aero which protected Sora from the attack. Cloud tried again but Yoshi kicked Cloud aside even though it had no affect. The trio continued to dodge Clouds attacks until Cloud lost his power and weakly got on his hands and knees.

"No." Cloud whispered. "But how?"

"Ha! I knew it would work!" Sora smirked.

"What worked?"

"I knew that going into that form with the giant wing would weaken you." Sora explained. "Just like last time. So, we dodged your attacks knowing that you would get weak afterwards."

"Boy, I bet you spent all week planning that." Luigi said rolling his eyes.

"Now, let's finish this!"

The trio attacked Cloud at once not giving him a chance to fight back. Sora then finished it with Ars Arcanum and a powerful strike that sent Cloud flying across the area. Cloud tried to get back up but he was too exhausted and fell down. The flag man held up a green flag.

"Cloud is unable to battle." The man said. "Victory goes to Team Sora."

The trio cheered in victory over Cloud and the audience roared with cheers and applause. Sora used an elixir to bring Cloud back to full strength. He stood up and looked at Sora.

"Sorry, man." Sora apologized. "I didn't know how serious you were. We just entered to become stronger and have some fun."

Cloud put his hands in his pockets and sighed. He looked up to the sky and smiled. "It's okay. I guess it's for the best. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I let my rage took over. Maybe, I'm not fit out to fight him."

"Don't doubt yourself." Sora disagreed. "You're really strong. Even now you still fight the darkness but at least know that you're not alone. We got your back and whatever problems you may have we can help."

Cloud just chuckled. "You remind me so much of myself when I was a kid. I was so enthusiastic and had self-confidence on my side. After joining SOLDIER and AVALANCHE my life changed and I thought I didn't have anymore emotions...till I met you." He then put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Thank you. I've never met a person quite like you. I hope the time will come when we shall have a rematch."

"You're on!" Sora said excitedly as he shook Cloud's hand.

"But don't expect an easy victory for they are still having drawings for re-entrance." Cloud said. "And if I do get back into the games, I shall train for when the time comes of our next bout." He then handed a keychain to Sora with a picture of a giant yellow bird on it. "Hold onto this and use it wisely. It has great power and may aid you in your travels."

"I promise to use this." Sora smiled.

Cloud left the arena silently as Sora's group watched him leave.

"I wonder why he entered this whole thing anyways." Luigi thought out loud.

Sora looked at his keychain and smiled. "Maybe Luigi, there are some things that's best to be left untold."

"Aw, Yoshi wanted to know Cloud's secret." Yoshi moaned.

"Kid, discovering secrets can be bad for your health." Luigi pointed out. "Remember the time you read my diary?"

"Ooh." Yoshi giggled. "Luigi mean the secret about when he sleeps with..."

"Don't say it!"

"Mr. Snoogums." Yoshi said teasingly.

"Who?" Sora asked beginning to break into laughter.

"At night when Luigi get scared he always snuggles up with Mr. Snoogums and says 'you keep me safe and warm from the monsters in my closet'." Yoshi said imitating Luigi.

"He's lying!" Luigi panicked.

Sora broke into laughter and fell on the floor. Luigi got embarrassed and stormed off for the exit.

"No dessert for you tonight, Yoshi." Luigi snapped as he walked away.

"Wait!" Yoshi cried chasing after Luigi. "I kidding."

The trio was able to get a ten minute break before continuing onto the next round. They were able to get some lunch but had to devour it as soon as they heard their names being called. The trio returned to the gates and entered the arena for their next battle. Meanwhile, sitting up in the bleachers was Jesse who was wearing everyday female clothing, watching the trio in the middle of their next battle. Meowth showed up next to Jesse with a hotdog in hand and sat down next to her.

"So, how's it going over there?" Jesse asked Meowth.

"Da twerp and his Pikachu won da division so there in da final match." Meowth reported. "If da key twerp and his pals win dis division they'll be going up against each other."

"Good, so we should be able to kill two birds with one stone by capturing Pikachu and booting that keyblade pest from the tournament." Jesse smirked. She then looked around looking for someone. "Say, have you seen James?"

"By now, you've got to realize he's going through the phase where he walks around places like a confused idiot."

"That's true." She agreed.

The two then turned to see James making his way through a crowd of people. He tumbled a bit getting through but he managed to sit down with his group.

"I'm here!" James announced with a song.

Meowth then scratched James' face with his claws which caused him to scream in his girly tone. "Where have you been, numbskull?"

"Can't you see we're trying to put a plan in motion?" Jesse said.

"Yeah, but I have a new scam that will make us rich..."

"If it means you got tricked again into buying a Magikarp then you're a complete ignoramus." Jesse interrupted.

"Would it kill you to know that this time I used some of the boss's money?" James asked with a high pitched voice. "Without asking?"

Then both Meowth and Jesse strangled him.

"You better get back that money right now or else I'll poke your eyes out!" Meowth threatened.

Meanwhile, Sora and his group have just finished the second seed and were in the final round. As they entered the arena ready for their last challenge they were surprised on who they saw.

"Ash!" Sora cried happily.

"Hey, guys!" Ash said greeting the trio. "Looks like we're facing each other next."

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"Since you guys are three I'm going to use three Pokemon against you." Ash explained.

"Wait, Ash!" Sora said. "Make that one Pokemon. This one I'm going to do by myself."

"What?" Yoshi exclaimed. "But...we...team..."

"Show off!" Luigi huffed. "Whatever happened to teamwork?"

"Sorry, but for once I really would like to try a battle by myself." Sora explained. "Is that okay?"

"What we do?" Yoshi asked Luigi.

"Let him go it alone...I guess." Luigi sighed. "Besides, this may give me a chance to relax now from all that fighting." He then walked over to the sidelines with Yoshi. "Good luck, kid."

"Good luck, Sora." Yoshi said walking over to Luigi.

"Thanks guys." Sora smiled with appreciation.

"Big mistake, Sora." Ash smirked. "For this match you're going up against by best buddy Pikachu. Our teamwork has crushed hundreds of opponents, so don't expect me to go easy on you. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika! Pi!" Pikachu responded.

"Ha! We'll see!" Sora said with a smirk as well.

Sora, Ash, and Pikachu entered the ring getting ready for the fight. Pikachu got into a battle pose by getting on his four legs and lowering his upper body. Sora drew his keyblade and got ready. Professor Oak also appeared next to Luigi and Yoshi anxiously waiting for the match to begin. Team Rocket snuck down the bleachers with Jesse grabbing James by the ear. Sora also equipped his new keychain on called "The Metal Chocobo" which he got from Cloud. The announcer called for the match to begin and Sora charged at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu ran at super fast speed and rammed Sora in the stomach with his head. Sora slid backwards and Pikachu jumped into the air.

"_Whoa, he's strong for a little guy!" _Sora thought.

Pikachu charged down at Sora who saw him coming.

"Use Tail Whip!" Ash commanded again.

Pikachu attacked with his tail which Sora was able to dodge but as he tried to kick the little rodent, Ash told Pikachu to use a Thudershock which zapped Sora and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Sora!" Luigi and Yoshi cried.

The audience murmured as they saw Sora on the ground with smoke coming out of him. He weakly got back up and chuckled. Luigi and Yoshi sighed with relief as Sora got back up and got into a battle position.

"That all you got, Pikachu?" Sora smirked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried.

"Man, I heard you were doing really good in this tournament but you can't even stand up to my Pikachu." Ash said. "As long as I keep having him use Thundershocks you can't even harm him."

"_He's right." _Sora thought. _"My physical attacks are useless but then again a little thunder has never held me back." _He then ran at Pikachu again. "Give it all you got!"

"You're on, Sora!" Ash cried. "Pikachu, use Thunderwave!" Pikachu fired yellow circular rings at Sora which he was able to dodge. "Shoot! It missed you! I'd watch it if I were you. One hit from a Thunderwave can paralyze you." He then just realized something. "Doh, I got to stop giving things away. Try again, Pikachu!"

Pikachu shot more waves at Sora who was able to dodge it with his dodge roll badge. Sora thought about using his own thunder magic but realized that it would have no effect on Pikachu considering his entire body was made up of electricity. Sora used his Blizzara magic which sent Pikachu tumbling to the ground. Luigi and Yoshi cheered on Sora.

"Nice job, kid." Luigi called.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?" Ash gasped. The yellow Pokemon stood back up and panted. "Okay, now give him a Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried releasing a giant bolt of electricity.

The shock hit Sora and he fell over with a groan.

"Again!" Ash cried.

Pikachu hit Sora again not giving him a chance to get back up. Pikachu did a few more times while Sora was groaning from the pain.

"Yoshi need to help!" Yoshi said getting out of his seat.

"Hold on!" Luigi said restraining Yoshi. "Have faith kid. He will pull through."

Sora weakly got up and chuckled. "Is that all?"

"How can you still be standing after an attack like that?" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, finish it with Thunder!"

Pikachu began producing large amounts of electricity from his cheeks as Sora got ready for the attack. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy to stop an attack like that but he had to try. Putting both hands on the handle of his keyblade and firmly putting a lot of weight on his feet, he got ready for the attack. Pikachu fired the thunder attack and Sora put his keyblade up into the sky and the attack hit it. Everyone gasped as Sora struggled with the attack as it began to push him back. Finally, Sora strained hard enough and pushed the attack right back at Pikachu. Pikachu quickly ran for it as the attack chased him around the arena.

Team Rocket ran out into the arena ready to attack when they saw Pikachu running at them.

"It's Pikachu!" They cried.

Pikachu quickly jumped over the attack and it hit Team Rocket, giving them a shock. The shock was so powerful that an explosion occurred, sending the three villains flying.

"We didn't even get a chance to cause trouble!" Jesse complained.

"Or even make it double!" Meowth added.

James started crying. "I didn't even get my money back!"

The three then flew out into the sky. "We're blasting off again!"

Pikachu stopped to catch his breath from running which gave Sora the chance to strike with a hard slash at Pikachu. Ash gasped in horror as he witness Sora grabbing his Pokemon and slamming him into the ground.

"Quick! Use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu tried to use an attack but he was too weak.

"Looks like Pikachu ran out of juice." Sora said. "Now I'm in control of this battle." Sora kicked Pikachu aside and the little mouse quickly flipped up and used a quick attack again which hit Sora in the head. "I just had to jinx is." Pikachu jumped up and rapidly swiped at Sora with his tail which Sora dodged.

"Mega Punch and Kick!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu punched Sora in the face and kicked him in the stomach. Sora then countered by uppercutting Pikachu and then hammering him to the ground.

"Use one more Quick Attack!" Ash commended again.

"Okay, that's getting annoying!" Sora groaned. "My turn!" He snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and charged at Pikachu.

The two went right through each other with powerful blows and both appeared on opposite sides of each other. They were both out of breath and were turned away from each other. All was quite as the two fighters stood still and tension was upon everyone. Especially, Ash, Luigi, and Yoshi. Finally, Sora bent down on his keyblade, out of breath but was able to stand back up. Pikachu however fainted. For being such a small little guy he couldn't deal with so much exhaustion. Ash ran over to his Pikachu and picked him up.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. "Are you okay?" Pikachu slowly opened his eyes to see he was in the warmth of his owner. He smiled at him and gently licked his face with love. Ash had tears streaming down his face as he cradled his Pokemon. "You did great pal."

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" The flag man announced. "Team Sora are the winners!"

Luigi and Yoshi cheered and ran over to a weaken Sora. They both ran into his arms and hugged him with joy.

"You did it kid!" Luigi cheered.

"Sora the winner."

"I may have won but I realize now that I can't do it without you guys." Sora smiled.

"See?" Luigi said. "You're nothing without us."

Ash walked over to the group with Pikachu in his arms and put his hand out. "Good game, Sora."

"You, too." Sora nodded shaking Ash's hand. He then looked at Pikachu. "No hard feelings Pikachu?" Pikachu smiled and extended his hand to Sora who shook it. Then Pikachu let off a little electric shock which zapped Sora. "Hey! I thought you ran out of juice?"

"What a shock!" Luigi joked. Everyone else just stood there looking at Luigi. "I never get any respect."

Seconds later the trio was at the top of the stairs holding a giant golden trophy with a Pokeball on top.

"We're the champs!" Sora cried.

Everyone cheered as Sora looked at his comrades and they looked back. The three of them knew that if they stick together, anything was possible. Cloud was in the corner of the area. He smiled at Sora and walked away into the shadows.

The group returned into the lobby where Sora received a prize. A new keychain called "Thundershocker". Ash was still amazed about being defeated by Sora.

"I can't believe it." Ash said. "Pikachu didn't even hold back. I guess humans can be as good as Pokemon."

"I think I get it now." Sora said changing the subject. "Strength of heart, the way to become a hero, it comes from our friends. My strength comes from Luigi and Yoshi."

"Beg pardon?" Oak asked confused.

"Don't you get it?" Sora said putting his arms around his friends. "With these guys by my side, no one can take us down. We're undefeated! Not even Ash and Pikachu can stand a chance against our friendship."

"Pika?" Pikachu gasped.

"Now, wait, that's not what I..." Oak began.

Ash stopped him and put his arm around the professor's back.. "I agree professor. I could have never made it this far as a Pokemon Trainer without the friendship from my Pokemon, Misty and Brock." He then turned back to Sora's group. "Together, the three of you make great heros. And as a team, you can overcome anything."

Sora and Ash gave each other a high five and they all cheered.

"We need to get ready for the next tournament so we'll let you know when it will be held." Oak told the group.

"No problem." Sora nodded.

Oak then turned to see that the pedestal was still there. "Oh, no! I've been so busy planning for the next tournament that I forgot to move that pedestal."

"Leave that to us." Sora announced.

"You?" Oak scoffed. "You said it was too heavy before."

"True, but I didn't do it with my friends." Sora smiled. "Come on, guys! Help me move this thing!"

Luigi and Yoshi both nodded and walked over to help Sora. The three pushed as hard as they could until finally they moved it which caused a bright flash. As the light dimmed they saw a keyhole on the ground.

"A keyhole!" Luigi exclaimed. "I guess we were enjoying ourselves so much that we forgot about the keyhole. Get to it, kiddo."

Sora took his keyblade out and pointed it at the keyhole. Firing a beam out of it, the keyblade sealed the keyhole which made the familiar locking sound. Ash and Oak were confused as to what happened.

"It's a long story." Sora explained.

"Kid, we should head back to Isle Delfino and tell Leon what happened." Luigi told Sora.

"Yeah, we should get going." Sora agreed. "We'll see you guys later."

Sora's group left the building and headed towards the Toad Express and began to make their way towards Isle Delfino.


	24. A Storybook Ending Part I

**Chapter XXIII: A Storybook Ending Part I**

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi were on board the Toad Express flying back towards Isle Delfino. Sora was still thinking about what happened with Riku. He wondered why he became this way. Although the two have always had a rivalry, they were the best of friends. It just wasn't clear as to why this had happened.

Tails came up over the intercom. "Guys, we're going to be in Isle Delfino's atmosphere in a few minutes so, I suggest putting your seatbelt on."

The foursome did so and Sora turned to Luigi.

"Tails is a great pilot." Sora told Luigi. "I'm so glad he came with us to help."

"Yeah, he's pretty good." Luigi commented. "Hey, Sora, are you still bummed out about Kairi?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Sora sighed. He then made a determined look. "But that doesn't mean I'll give up hope. Her heart is out there somewhere and I won't stop until I find it."

"Right on!" Yoshi cheered. "And Yoshi help too."

Sora just chuckled. "Thanks, buddy." He then turned back to Luigi. "You know there is one thing I've always wanted to know. How did you meet Yoshi anyway?"

"Oh." Luigi chuckled. "It's a long story, but since we have a few minutes I'll tell you the shortened version. You see, after we defeated Bowser we celebrated by going to a world called Dinosaur Island. Upon our arrival we were ambushed by Bowser's troops and they kidnaped Peach.. My brother and I chased after Bowser's troops through a warp pipe and arrived at a block room..."

"Luigi bash blocks." Yoshi interrupted.

"Okay wise guy." Luigi chuckled. "So, what happened next?"

Yoshi just giggled. "Luigi find Yoshi egg. Then it hatched and Yoshi born." Yoshi then started laughing. "Remember? Yoshi thought Luigi was mama."

"Oh, I remember." Luigi groaned.

"Mama?" Sora snickered. "Mama Luigi?"

"Well, I was the first person he saw!" Luigi snapped. "What did you expect?"

"I'm only kidding, buddy." Sora smiled. "That's cool. So, Yoshi had no parents?"

"We never found them." Luigi explained. "Green Yoshis barely exist anymore. No one knows where he came from? We found out later on though that the egg he was born in came from another world."

"You mean Yoshi is from another world?" Sora exclaimed.

"That's what everyone say." Yoshi explained. "Yoshi not sure."

"People believe that all Yoshis came from another world." Luigi continued. "Perhaps, he came from there."

"Then let's go find it!" Sora said with confidence.

"Sora do that for Yoshi?" Yoshi gasped in surprise.

"Of course." Sora nodded. "We're best buddies. We have to look out for each other."

"Thanks, Sora!" Yoshi cried jumping into Sora's arms and licking his face.

"Cut it out!" Sora laughed.

"Kid, sit back down!" Luigi called to Yoshi.

"Oops, sorry." Yoshi giggled

"When we arrive at Isle Delfino let's go find Captain Olimar and Louie." Sora announced. "Toadsworth, how long do we have left before their air tank expires?"

Toadsworth made a sad look. "Not much time. I'd say about three days left!"

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "We got to get moving then!" He then shouted. "Tails, can you drop us off right next to the harbor?"

"Kid, are you crazy?" Luigi panicked. "We'll never make it! It's too tight a landing!"

"Ha! I heard that!" Tails laughed. "No landing has ever been too tight for me! I'll give it a shot!"

"We're doomed." Luigi gulped under his breath.

"You worry too much, dude." Sora said making his famous smile. "I swear I think of you two as Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. Both of you eat too much and once Yoshi stole food from you. And both of you together get scared easily. And remember the persuasion of the Yoshi Cookies."

"Hey! At least I'm not as thin as him and I don't say that ridicules phrase zoinks!" Luigi responded. Just then the plane took a fast dip and Luigi shouted. "Zoinks!"

The plane went in fast and Tails was sweating as he tried to gain control of the plane. The plane final made it to Plaza Delfino and it landed right on the side of it in the water. Tails turned the engine off and sat back in his seat with a sigh.

"_Guess I'm not used to flying passenger planes." _Tails thought with a sigh.

The group were pushed back in their seats and they were all in shock.

"Wow! He's got talent!" Sora said astonished.

"Yeah...talent that could have killed us." Luigi sighed with relief. "But then again, the kid does have good skill. I guess I shouldn't worry then."

"See, it's all good." Sora said. "Tails knows exactly what he's doing."

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi need to move!" Yoshi shouted.

"You're right." Sora nodded. "Come on! Captain Olimar and Louie shouldn't be too far."

Little did Sora know that Captain Olimar and Louie were right outside observing the Toad Express.

"Remarkable!" Captain Olimar said astonished. "Louie, what do you suppose this thing is?"

"A giant bird of some sort, but it appears to be made of the same material as our space ship." Louie said observing the plane.

Tails then peaked his head out of the window to see Olimar and Louie. "It's an airplane. It's used to travel to other worlds."

"Louie, look!" Olimar exclaimed. "A talking bandicoot is flying that plane thing."

"I'm a fox." Tails said in monotone voice.

"No, he's more of a racoon." Louie disagreed.

"Now listen, Louie!" Olimar barked. "I know a bandicoot when I see one!"

"You're wrong sir." Louie objected. "Have you ever even seen a bandicoot?"

"Would the one on a Playstaion count?" Olimar asked with coy. He then got mad again. "It doesn't matter! He's a bandicoot!"

"Racoon!"

"Bandicoot!"

"Racoon!"

Tails got so annoyed that he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'M A FOX, GOSH DARN IT!"

The two then just looked at him with dropped mouths. Sora's group upon exiting also heard Tails and were in complete shock. Yoshi just giggled mockingly.

"Tails almost say naughty word." Yoshi giggled

"I am so sorry." Tails apologized wholeheartedly. "I didn't mean to shout like that."

"Um, quite alright son." Olimar said still in shock. "I forgot my glasses so I couldn't tell what you were."

"Tails, why don't you go to the hotel and rest for a little bit, huh?" Sora suggested. "You seem a bit under pressure."

"Good idea, Sora." Tails responded with a nod. "I'll see you later."

Tails walked out the door and left in silence. Sora turned his attention to Captain Olimar and Louie.

"Hey, guys!" Sora said greeting the two.

"Sora!" Olimar cried. He then ran and shook Sora's hand. "Thank goodness you're here! Any Pikmin for us?"

Sora took the cube out of his pocket and opened it revealing more Pikmin. As soon as they appeared they all walked over and began working on the ship.

"Sir, we're very, very, close now!" Louie said excitedly. "According to my calculations we need only twelve more."

"That's good." Olimar said with joy.

"But we only have three days left untilour oxygen supply runs out." Louie said in dismay.

"That's bad." Olimar said with sorrow.

"We could double our efforts." Sora said.

"That's good." Olimar said with joy.

"But we may get sidetracked by the heartless." Luigi pointed out.

"That's bad." Olimar said with sorrow.

"Hey, we'll beat them so fast that we'll have the Pikmin back in no time." Sora reassured.

"That's good." Olimar said with joy.

"But they've gotten a lot stronger." Luigi said countering what Sora said.

"That's bad." Olimar said with sorrow.

"Would you stop doing that?" Luigi asked Olimar annoyed.

"Oh, sorry." Olimar said sheepishly. "Well, as I promised for brining us more Pikmin, I will reward you handsomely. Plus, I got a special for you." He then handed Sora a torn page. "Some strange torn page I found on my travels."

"Torn page?" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Yes." He nodded. "And it looks like some sort of collectors item. I find it of no use to me, so do what you want with it."

"Thanks." Yoshi smiled.

"Guys, let's go see Wiseman and show him the five pages we found." Sora told his party. "Maybe now we can find out what kind of story this is."

"I hope it's not a horror story." Luigi gulped nervously to himself.

"Sora, please, we're running out of time." Olimar told Sora. "If the remaining twelve Pikmin aren't found in three days we'll..."

"Try not to think that." Sora said with determination. "We will find the last twelve! We'll search high and low and leave no stone unturned."

"Such a good boy." Olimar said. "I can't thank you for all the kindness. In fact I've become emotional, I think I'm going to cry." He then bursted into tears. "Oh, Louie! I need a tissue!"

He then ran off crying leaving Louie rolling his eyes.

"He forgot to take his pills again." He groaned. "We can't thank you enough for all your help. Please, Sora, we're counting on you and your friends."

"Okay." Sora nodded. "For now try not to panic and have faith. I always keep my promise." He then thought about something. _"Just like a promise I kept to you, Kairi. I will save you from all this."_

Sora's group said good-bye and left for the theme park. The trio got into the giant cannon and were launched to the island. However, the cannon turned a little to the right and fired the group straight at Wiseman's House. Meanwhile, Wiseman just brought in a bowl of soup and put it on the roundtable. Mumbo was on the other side of the table holding a soup spoon.

"Mumbo can't wait." Mumbo said thrilled. "Mumbo always wanted to try Wiseman's world famous stew."

"Ho, ho!" Wiseman chortled. "My stew is pretty famous. All of my students enjoyed my stew. I bet you're wondering what it is called."

"What do Wiseman call it?"

"It's called..."

Before Wiseman could finish his sentence, Sora's group crashed through the ceiling and landed on the table causing it to collapse from the combined weight of them.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried out.

Luigi ended up on top of Sora while Yoshi landed in the bowl of stew. Wiseman looked disappointed and sighed but was a bit confused.

"...a Yoshi Stew?" Wiseman finished confused.

Yoshi began to lick the plate clean. "Mmm, and Yoshi taste good, too."

"Man, we can never stop dropping in enough, huh, Luigi?" Sora groaned while standing up.

"Mama-mia, what a landing. " Luigi groaned while standing up.

"Well, there goes my perfectly good roof." Wiseman sighed.

"Sorry." Sora apologized. "The cannon launched us a bit off."

"It's alright." Wiseman chortled. "They tend to screw up now and then. One time one person got injured and could never walk again, so you three should be lucky."

"Thanks, I feel so much better." Luigi said sarcastically.

"Impact will take care of the clean up job." Wiseman said assuring the group.

"What brings boy, dinosaur, and plumber by?" Mumbo asked our heros.

"We found five pieces of the torn pages." Sora responded holding up the pages.

Wiseman put on his reading glasses and walked over to the pages and observed it. "Interesting." He then touched the pages. "These pages are all connected and somehow they have a special power. We need to get them back into the book somehow."

The group began to figure out a way to get the pages back in. Yoshi curiously approached the book and looked at it funny. He felt a strange feeling in his stomach and something in his mind was telling him to touch it. For a moment in time, he thought he lost all control of his body as he gently tapped the page. All of a sudden, the pages began to glow, which caused Sora to startle. The group looked to see that the book was responding to the pages at it began shaking. Sora could feel the pages pulling him towards the book. He gasped as he saw this and tried to let go of the papers but they somehow held onto him. Everyone else tried to pull Sora back but the force was too strong and the book flew open revealing its pages.

"What's that book doing?" Luigi exclaimed.

"In all of my years in science, I have never seen something like this!" Wiseman said in shock.

The book then began to pull Sora into it as he tried to push back. The force was too strong for the keyblade master to push back. As a last effort, Yoshi grabbed Sora's leg and tried to hold him back but the force pulled both of them into the book. They both shut their eyes as they got sucked into the book. The book closed its pages and Luigi ran up to the book and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open.

"Struggling sausages!" Luigi struggled. "Why...won't...this...book...open?"

"It's locked." Wiseman said observing the book. "We need a key to this thing."

"So, where is it then?" Luigi asked Wiseman with hope.

"Um, I need to check my storage for the key." Wiseman gulped. "But, I'm not sure there was a key when I found the book. They could be lost in there forever." He then walked off.

Luigi looked a bit nervous wondering if his friends were lost forever. He then turned to Mumbo with a shrug.

"Um, want to play poker?" Luigi asked Mumbo.

"Har! Har! Har!" Mumbo guffawed. "Mumbo play and kick butt."

"We'll see about that, skull man." Luigi smirked with confidence.

Meanwhile, inside the storybook, Sora landed in a small pond in a jungle. He slowly say up and walked out of the water. His new surroundings looked very calm and peaceful as he was observing the area. He felt the warm breeze enter his face as it reminded him of his island. As he arrived on the beach, he saw giant palm trees all around the area with different kinds of fruit. Sora wondered what happened and was postulating if he was dreaming. He then walked into a palm tree and a coconut fell and landed on his head.

"Ouch!" Sora shouted in pain. "That hurt!" He then noticed a book lying on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up. As he opened it, he thought he could feel his entire body being pulled by a force of gravity. As he looked up, he saw that he was in an empty part of the beach. It was quite, Sora thought to himself as he heard the soft sounds of the waves hitting the edge of the beach. A bit too quite.

He then heard the sounds of someone crying. Sora identified the voice as high pitched and a bit immature, meaning it was a baby. At first he thought it was Yoshi, but it sounded a bit younger. He then looked to a lone palm tree and down below it, he saw a baby probably younger then Yoshi crying a little bit, maybe even pouting. The only clothing the baby wore was a diaper and a red hat with the letter "M" on it.

Sora wondered why a baby was all alone on the island. He looked around to see if the baby's parents were near by or any adults were around, but to his dismay saw no one around. Finally, he walked over to the baby slowly, so he didn't alarm him.

He bent down to the baby and smiled warmly. "Hey, little guy, something wrong?"

The baby looked up at Sora and sniffed his tears away. Normally, a baby may get a little scared upon seeing someone he doesn't know, but this one already seemed to trust this older stranger with big yellow shoes. He wiped his tears away and looked at the stranger.

"Nothing." The baby responded with an Italian accent. "I'm-a-just upset."

"Okay." Sora said a bit confused. "Are you lost? Do you need help?"

"Oh, no." The baby responded. "I-a-just got sad because I'm-a-trying to figure out how to say good-bye to Mario."

"Mario?" Sora exclaimed. He was shocked. The same Mario they have been searching for, it couldn't be, could it?

Upon hearing the name Mario, the baby smiled and giggled. "That's-a-me."

"So, you're Mario then?" Sora said sitting down next to the baby.

"That's-a-right." The baby nodded. "I'm-a-Mario and my last name is Mario, too."

"_This can't be right!" _Sora thought. _"The same Mario that Luigi, Yoshi, and myself have been searching for. Something is wrong here. Maybe, this is just a dream and I'll wake up soon." _He then rubbed his head upon remembering the incident with the coconut earlier on. _"Okay, scrap that theory. Or maybe I'm in that sc-fi show where weird things happen, like how they suddenly travel through time." _

"Who are you, mister?" Baby Mario asked Sora.

"My name is Sora." He responded. _"Wow! He has better grammar then Yoshi." _

"Hi, Sora." Baby Mario said with a smile. He then made a depressed look and sighed. "So, have you come to-a-say good-bye to Mario, too?"

"Now why would I do that?" Sora chuckled sweetly. "When you first meet someone, aren't you suppose to say hello? I've never had to meet someone and say good-bye to someone."

"Everyone else has though." Baby Mario said sadly. "They all go bye-bye."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked curiously.

"Well, we all lived together here on Yoshi's Island." Baby Mario explained. Sora gasped upon hearing Yoshi's Island.

"Wait, this place is called Yoshi's Island?" Sora interrupted quickly.

Baby Mario nodded and continued. "We would always play on the beach or in the jungle. Me and my brother would ride the backs of the Yoshis and go on many adventures. We would get fruit from the Super Happy Tree and I would get my daily pasta from a pasta tree."

"_Wow, how ironic." _

"A nice bowl would taste really good." Baby Mario said rubbing his stomach. "Now, everyone has gone away. Maybe, they went away while I was taking my afternoon nap or when I was eating a bowl pasta."

"_Yeah, that's Luigi's brother alright." _Sora thought with a chuckle.

"I guess that means I shall go away as well." Baby Mario sighed sadly. He then stood up and looked out at the water. "So, if they go bye-bye then how do I say good-bye to myself?"

The baby walked away and Sora just watched him walk off. He felt a bit excited considering that this could be Yoshi's world. But he then felt sorry for the baby sensing his loneliness and sadness. Sora wondered what could have happened to the baby's friends. He was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice.

"Sora!"

Sora turned to see Yoshi running up to him. "Yoshi!" Yoshi ran up to Sora and jumped into his arms and licked his face. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yoshi, glad that, Sora is okay." Yoshi said happily. He then looked around at the beautiful surroundings. "Where are Sora and Yoshi, anyway?"

"You're not going to believe this, but I was talking to a baby version of Luigi's brother." Sora told Yoshi.

Yoshi's mouth dropped in shock. "Is Sora serious?"

"Yeah." Sora nodded. "It was weird. Also, he said this place is called Yoshi's Island. Could this be your home world?"

"Sora think so?" Yoshi asked excited.

"Maybe." Sora shrugged. "We should go after Mario."

"But where did Mario go?"

Sora then looked down to see the book he found. He noticed that it was glowing with a not very bright light. He picked up the book and opened it. He and Yoshi both noticed a small cave appeared in the book.

"Hm, I don't remember this being here." Sora said to himself. Just then, the two could feel as if their bodies were being pulled by a force of gravity. They looked up again to see there were standing in front of the small cave. "Okay, what just happened? Did that book just warp us to this cave?"

"Well, Sora and Yoshi didn't just walk here now did we?" Yoshi asked rhetorically.

"You got a point." Sora nodded. He bravely walked into the cave with Yoshi at his side and looked around the area.

Surprisingly, the room was exactly like a normal home. It had a small bed, a refrigerator, a small cabinet, a hat rack, and a clock on the wall. Sora saw Baby Mario in the corner of the room looking at a small wooden bowl.

"It is Mario!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Shh." Sora said shushing Yoshi softly.

Baby Mario was a bit disappointed as he looked into the bowl with a soft sigh. "Mama-mia! All empty." He then stood up and spoke to himself. "I'm-a-out of a pasta. Maybe, I can send a letter to the pasta tree. Then it would bring me some pasta." He then walked over to his cabinet and went to the bottom drawer and opened it. He then pulled out a crayon and a yellow piece of paper and wrote on it for a few seconds and then looked up with a giggled. "All done."

Baby Mario then got up and left the area without noticing Sora and Yoshi. Curious, the duo walked over to the letter and observed it, only to see that the paper had little scribbles on it.

"Well, if the tree was to get this letter, I'd say he wouldn't no what it meant." Sora said looking at the letter.

The two left the cave, trying to find out where Baby Mario ran off too. As they walked out, they gasped upon who they saw. It was another Yoshi, but this one was different. He was a bit taller then Green Yoshi, but his skin was colored yellow.

"Greetings." He said with an elderly voice. "I welcome you to Yoshi's Island."

"Yoshi really am home!" An excited Yoshi said.

"Well, you must be a green Yoshi." Yellow said, observing Green. "I haven't seen one in ages."

"How come?" Green asked.

"Ever since the Torn Pages were lost, a mother and father green Yoshis were separated from us." Yellow explained.

"Yoshi!" Sora cried turning to his Yoshi. "Those were probably your parents. This really is your home world!"

Green then cheered and jumped for joy. "Yoshi home! Yoshi home! Thank you, Sora, for finding Yoshi's home."

"Whoa! Calm down!" Sora said trying to keep Green under control. He then turned to Yellow. "Excuse me, sir. But if you would..."

"I know." Yellow interrupted. "You have many questions and you'd like them answered. Well, this should straighten everything out. This is a world of memory, created from the memories of the real Yoshi's Island.

"What do you mean real?"

"Once, Yoshi's Island was in fact a real world." Yellow explained. "But, nine years ago, the world was destroyed by a group of dark creatures."

"The heartless." Green muttered, under his breath.

"Before then, the tribe used the power of the Super Happy Tree to create a book to carry on fond memories." Yellow continued. "With the biggest memory of that day that happened a long time ago, when that baby fell out of the sky.

"I get it!" Sora realized. "Luigi told me that ancestors of Yoshi's saved him and his brother. I guess they must have landed in that world. So, that means that this world is just a memory of what Mario and Luigi were like."

"Exactly." Yellow responded.

"So, where are Yoshi's parents?" Green asked, with hope in his eyes.

"They just popped out a Yoshi egg the day the five pages were torn apart." Yellow said with sorrow. "No one ever saw them again."

Green put his head down in sadness while Sora pat his head. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're alive somewhere. We already found your home world, so who knows."

Green smiled and looked up at Sora.

"Young one." Yellow addressed Green. "Would you care for a tour?"

"That be great." Green nodded.

"However, I'm guessing since this is a story, you're expecting end ending, right?" Yellow asked. Sora and Green both nodded. "Well, although you've managed to put the missing pages back in, you must fill in the pages."

"What?" Sora exclaimed with shock. "You're expecting me to write an ending for this story?"

"You must use your heart, not your hands." Yellow said in riddle.

"Was that a metaphor or have you been watching too many commercials?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrow in quirk.

"You shall find out it time." Yellow smiled. "Now, to finish this book, you must use the book you currently hold in your hands." Sora looked down at the book and looked into it. He noticed a giant tree filled with pasta appeared. "Each part you see is part of the story. You must fill in the page, but only a human must make the journey."

"I can't have Yoshi with me?" A disappointed Sora asked.

"You can, but he can't help." Yellow explained. "But, I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind a tour of the world so far."

Green turned to Sora with excitement in his eyes."Can Yoshi go, Sora?"

Sora smiled warmly at his Yoshi and said. "Have a ball."

Green smiled at Sora with happiness and walked over to Yellow.

"Be careful, Sora." Green said. "Yoshi see Sora later."

The two Yoshis left to begin their tour of the island, while Sora looked back at the book. He saw the pasta tree in the book and could feel his body being pulled by gravity again. Upon looking up after the force stopped, he could see that he was in front of the tree he just saw.

"_That's going to take some getting used to." _Sora thought. He then looked around at his surroundings. He was in a green area where he saw bushes all over and the tree was very big. Around it, Sora noticed little raven like creatures walking on the branches. They were round creatures that had no feet. As Sora began to figure out a way to complete the story, he heard a small, feeble voice.

"Oh, Mario!" The voice called.

Sora just froze upon hearing the voice. He somehow recognized it and it sounded familiar to him. He turned to see another baby human crawling out from a wooden log. The baby looked exactly liked Baby Mario except his hat was green and it had the letter "L" on it. Sora was in complete shock upon seeing the baby.

"Is that..." Sora began.

"Mario!" The baby called. "Mario! It's-a-me, Luigi."

Sora then snickered. "Oh, man! I can't believe it! It is Luigi! Wow!" Sora then cooed. "He's so cute as a baby."

"Hello?" Baby Luigi asked nervously. "Mario?" He then sighed. "Lonely, linguine, I'm all alone. And when I'm alone, I get scared." He then got really scared and backed up with caution. "Maybe, a Boo will try and scare me or worse..." He then backed up into Sora who was looking down at him. He looked up at Sora and gasped in horror. "Bigfoot! Don't eat me!"

Sora rolled his eyes as Baby Luigi ran for the tree. On the way he tripped over the branch and rolled down a small hill and crashed into a bush.

"Heh, heh." Sora snicked. "I guess some things never change."

Sora walked over to the bush and opened it to see Luigi backing away our hero. Sora tried to reach for the baby but the baby snapped his mouth almost biting Sora. The keyblade master got upset from this which got Baby Luigi more nervous.

"I'm sorry!" Baby Luigi panicked. "I didn't mean it! Someone forced me to do it!"

"Calm down." Sora said warmly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Luigi." He then smacked his hand onto his mouth upon realizing what he said. "Oops."

"H-how do you know my name?" Baby Luigi asked nervously.

"Um...well...because..." Sora said thinking of an excuse. He then got an idea. "Because you're brother told me about you."

"You know my brother?"

"Yep." Sora smiled. "Come on, kid. Let's get you out of here." As he picked up the baby who was a little more calm, Sora thought. _"Well, I never thought that I would be calling Luigi kid. After the number of times he called me kid, I'm going to enjoy this." _

Sora put the baby down on the ground and put his hand on his head.

"Thank you, mister..." Baby Luigi began to say. "What is your name?"

"My name is Sora, and you're looking for Mario, right?"

"Yes, I am looking for him." Baby Luigi nodded. "I have something very important to give to my big brother. Do you know where he is?"

Before Sora could respond, he could hear footsteps coming from behind him. He looked to see that Baby Mario walked into the area and noticed his younger sibling.

"Hi, Luigi." Baby Mario said, greeting his brother.

"Mario!" Baby Luigi cried with glee. He then ran over to his brother and stopped in front of him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad you're here, too, little bro." Baby Mario smiled in response. Baby Mario then began to smell a delicious sensation. "I-a-smell pasta. Coming from a pasta tree."

"Mario!" Baby Luigi shouted. "I couldn't find you. I thought you were lost. I looked everywhere."

"Everywhere as in the inside of your hiding spot?" Baby Mario giggled.

"That's not true!" Baby Luigi snapped.

"Ha! Ha!" Baby Mario laughed. "I'm-a-just kidding. Did you bring what I asked for?"

Baby Luigi nodded and walked over his log. He then came out with three balloons and crawled over to Baby Mario.

"I got it, Mario." Baby Luigi said. "Why did you want the balloons?"

"I shall hold onto the balloons, and float up to get me some-a-pasta." Baby Mario explained. He then closed his eyes and began to fantasias it. "Mmm, I can already taste it down my throat."

"But Mario." Baby Luigi began. "Remember what the elder Yoshi said? The ravens protect the pasta, so they would get mad at you and attack." Baby Luigi then began to turn away. "So, we should just go home and take a nap."

"Wait, Luigi!" Baby Mario said, stopping his brother. "I have an idea."

Baby Luigi just sighed sadly. _"I wish he wouldn't say that."_

"Mr. Sora!" Baby Mario called to Sora.

"Huh? What is it Mario?" Sora asked Mario, bending down to his level.

"Do you think you can chase those mean old ravens away?" Baby Mario pleaded. "Then, I could get some pasta. Please!"

Sora thought about it for a moment. He wondered if this is what yellow meant by completing the story. When a certain event is started and finished that will recover the page. Smiling, Sora stood back up.

"Sure, why not?" Sora smiled.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Sora." Baby Mario cheered.

Just then, Yellow and Green Yoshi appeared.

"Hey, Yoshi!" Sora said, greeting his Yoshi. "How was the tour?"

"It was amazing!" Green said with excitement. "Yoshi saw so much! Yoshi want to stay here forever!"

Sora felt a bit disappointed by the comment. Sure, he felt happy for his pal for finding his home but, he was a bit worried that Green may grow to attached to it and want to live there. Sora didn't know how to deal with his predicament though.

"Hello, Mario." Yellow greeted Baby Mario. "Using a balloon to get your pasta I see. Excellent idea. Perhaps, I can lend you a little advice, Sora." Sora turned his attention to Yellow as he cleared his throat. "Now then...Mario can get the pasta and his pasta bowl, while he floats on the balloons. Be warned, the ravens are watching every move you make. Try to touch the pasta and they shall peck off the balloons off and cause Mario to fall."

"So, do you want me to shoo off the ravens?" asked Sora.

"Exactly." Yellow nodded. "Do what you can to keep the bees away from him. Also, the higher he goes, the more pasta he can get."

Sora took the three balloons and wrapped them around Baby Mario's waist.

"There." Sora said finishing. "Nice and tight."

"Remember, balance is the key and if you wish to finish the story you must complete the game." Yellow concluded.

"Okay." Sora nodded. "Ready, Mario?"

Baby Mario gave a thumbs up. "Roger!"

"Who is Roger?" Green and Baby Luigi asked confused.

Sora released Baby Mario into the sky and he slowly made his way up collecting pasta as he went. The ravens got mad upon seeing this and tried to peck the balloons. Sora quickly jumped up and swat away at the ravens, while Baby Mario gathered the pasta. At one point the ravens tried a strategy as three kept Sora busy, while the other one popped one of the balloons. Sora noticed this and quickly jumped up and swatted it away. Baby Mario continued to travel up getting pasta as he went. Finally, the ravens were fed up with Sora's meddling that they all tackled him at once. Another raven got to the top and pecked another balloon leaving one left. Sora quickly struggled through the other ravens and swatted the one on top away. Baby Mario's bowl filled right to the top as his last balloon hit the branches, causing him to remain stuck.

"Help! Help!" Baby Mario cried.

Sora reached up and slowly grabbed Baby Mario and the pasta and they made their way back down the tree. The ravens tried to attack but, Sora kept them away with his keyblade. The two finally made it down as the Yoshis and Baby Luigi sighed with relief.

"Good work." Yellow said impressed.

The brothers sat down right next to the bowl and began eating away at it with their hands.

"Mmm, I'd do anything for pasta." Baby Mario said, wolfing down the pasta.

"Hey!" Baby Luigi said angrily. "You're eating all my fill. You're tummy will get too big."

Baby Mario just giggled. "Silly Luigi, I'll never get a big belly."

Sora and Green both rolled their eyes with a chuckle. All of a sudden, they felt the room spinning and they arrived back in the beach area.

"What just happened?" Sora asked Green Yoshi.

"Yoshi not sure." Green shrugged.

Just then, the two saw a summon gem lying on the beach with a note attached to it. Sora picked up the note and read it.

"You've finished the first page, meaning you have four more to go." Sora dictated. "Use your book to go to the next location. The item that is attached to this note is a reward for doing a good deed." He then put the note down and turned to Green. "That's one down and four to go."

"Then what are Sora and Yoshi waiting for?" Green cried. "Let's go!"

Sora grabbed the summon gem and pocketed it for later. He then opened the book and noticed that a another round small cave. Tapping it with his finger, the two could feel themselves being pulled again by a powerful force and as soon as they knew it, they were in front a small bridge that led to the cave. Sora noticed that the bridge was over a small stream and sounded softly as it moved down to the left. He saw to his left a garden that had carrots and tomatoes and were labeled.

The two walked across the bridge and noticed that the cave had a mailbox and a door. Sora tried knocking on the door but the only response he got was a negative response.

"Nobody's home!" The voice said. "Come again another time!"

"Aw." Green moaned. "But, Yoshi want to meet someone."

"Um, Yoshi, if no one was home they wouldn't have responded to us." Sora chuckled.

"Oh, yeah." realized Green. "Yoshi forgot."

Sora then peaked his head behind a corner of the cave and saw the Baby Mario Brothers. They were looking at a hole in confusion. Sora and Green walked over to the side and greeted the brothers.

"Hey, Mario. Hey, Luigi." Sora greeted. "What are you guys doing over here?"

"It's the cave." Baby Luigi responded. "Red's cave has return but it appears that no one is home. Mario tried calling to him but the cave said that no one was home."

"Um, actually..." Sora began. He then paused and shrugged off what he was going to say. "Never mind, Yoshi and I will try to find away in. I just have a good feeling they're home."

Sora and Green walked back to the door as quickly as they could. Normally, it would be rude to just walk in without knocking but it was also rude to not let a friend come in. Sora opened the door and the duo walked in. Baby Mario was getting too impatience and curious so, he began to crawl through the hole.

"Mr. Nobody?" Baby Mario asked the cave. "Have you seen our friend? He's a red Yoshi."

"No red Yoshi here." The voice panicked. "There's nobody here!"

Inside the cave was another Yoshi. This one was way younger then the elder but he appeared a bit older then Green. He had red skin and wore blue shoes. He paced back and forth through his house, hoping that Baby Mario would leave. Do his dismay, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi crawled.

"Hi, Red." Baby Mario said, greeting the Yoshi.

"Oh, hello Mario." Red sighed. "Um, what a pleasant surprise? Oh, and you too, Luigi." He then was startled to see Sora and Green walk up. "Oh, my! Are these new friends of yours?"

Green excitedly ran up to his fellow Yoshi and shook his hand. "Hi! I Yoshi! It nice to meet other Yoshi because Yoshi want to meet other Yoshis."

"I can never get enough Yoshis." Sora chuckled.

"Well...it's nice to meet you both." Red responded. He then turned to Baby Mario. "Listen Mario, I always enjoy company and I know you're just dying to have some pasta but, sadly I ran out."

"No!" Baby Mario cried. "You can't you just can't!"

"Are you sure?" Baby Luigi asked in aw.

"P-positive!" Red said nervously.

"Really?" a suspicious Sora asked. "Then what's in that bowl on the top shelf of that cabinet?"

Everyone looked up to see a lone pasta bowl on top of Red's cabinet. Red began sweating nervously while he noticed Sora eyeing him.

"Well...how about that?" a nervous Red said. "How unexpected." Sora just rolled his eyes. "Would you like some, Mario? Of course, you don't have to if you want to..."

"Hoohoo!" Baby Mario cheered. "I'll just have a little bit."

Sora reached up and grabbed the bowl and sat it down at the table. Baby Mario crawled up onto the chair and began eating it with his hands. Red got really nervous and looked upset.

"Mario? By any chance are you eating the whole thing?" Red asked. "Once you start, you know you can't stop."

Sora was shocked to see Baby Mario ate the whole thing in about 30 seconds. Red just sighed sadly and looked.

"Oh, no." He sighed. "I'm out again."

Sora then put his hands in his pocket and made a guilty look. _"I guess he was just trying to prevent Mario from eating the pasta. Man, I guess it runs in the family of Mario Brothers." _

Thinking as though there was nothing more to do, Sora gestured Green telling him that they should leave. Green nodded and the two left, thinking that they finished the next page. The duo arrived outside and walked across the bridge. They were about to leave when they heard a cry for help.

"Help! Help!" Baby Luigi cried. "Someone help Mario!"

Sora and Green turned around to see Baby Luigi running up to them as fast as he could. He then trip and fell over.

"Luigi, what's wrong with Mario?" Sora asked, taking his keyblade out sensing there may be danger.

"He's in trouble!" Baby Luigi panicked. "Come with me, quickly!"

The trio ran back to the cave as fast as they could. Upon arriving, Baby Luigi led the group to the door where Red was waiting for them.

"It's terrible!" Red panicked. "Just terrible!"

"What is it?" Green asked.

"Well, he began to leave when...when..."

"Let it out!" Sora said getting annoyed. "What happened?"

"He's stuck in a hole!"

"_We went through all this panic for nothing."_ Sora thought with a groan.

Sora looked over to notice Baby Mario's bottom was stuck in the hole he crawled into earlier.

"Mama-mia!" Baby Mario cried through the other side. "I'm-a-stuck again. I came through this hole just fine but, it must have shrunken on me."

Sora chuckled and rolled his eyes at the comment.

"How did Mario get stuck?" Green wondered.

"I guess all that pasta got to his stomach." Sora assumed. "Come on! Let's try pushing him out!" Everyone pushed their bodies up against Baby Mario's behind and tried to push him out but, they had no luck. "Boy, looks like that pasta really got to him. Maybe, we could try pulling him out! Let's go!"

Sora, Baby Luigi, and Green arrived outside and ran over to the side of the cave. There, they saw the front of Baby Mario's body and he was sad.

"Oh, now how am I going to-a-enjoy my pasta from here?" Baby Mario sighed, sadly. He then made a smile with hope and turned to Sora. "I know! Every day during lunch, could you bring me a bowl of pasta with some meatballs?"

"Um..." Sora began.

"No pasta until you get out!" Red said walking over to the group. "I'm afraid pulling may not help either." He then panicked "I don't deserve this! He'll eat all of my pasta! I can't go on! I can't..."

Green then grabbed him and shook him. "Snap out of it! Sora and Yoshi figure out way."

Sora then thought about it for a minute when he came up with an idea. "I got it! This situation is somewhat similar to a book I read once about a teddy bear who got stuck in a rabbit hole."

"Did bear get out?" Green asked, with hope.

"Yeah, but he needed carrot juice to be spread around the sides of his body." Sora explained. "This caused him to slide out more easily."

"Of course!" Red said with excitement. "Why didn't I think of it before? We give him a bit of carrot juice and he'll be out of there in no time." He then turned and was ready to get the carrots when he gasped in horror "Oh, no!"

The group turned to see another Yoshi coming up to them. This one was a pink Yoshi with yellow shoes and she was about the same age as Yoshi and was hoping around. She was a bit careless and ran into Sora, knocking him over. Everyone else started giggling at this. The pink Yoshi looked down at Sora and talked with enthusiasm in her voice.

"Hi there!" She said with a similar baby voice to Yoshi. "I Pinkie! I spell it P-i-n-kie! That's how boy spell Pinkie." She then curiously sniffed Sora around. "Hm, Pinkie never seen boy before." She then noticed Green. "And Pinkie never noticed other Yoshi before who looks cute."

"Hello, Pinkie." Baby Mario said, greeting the Yoshi. "You've ran into my new friend Sora."

"Hiya, Mario!" Pinkie greeted back. "Mario look a bit uncomfortable. Is that a new exercise to help Mario lose that big belly? Why, hopping around is much more fun!"

She then got off Sora and jumped in front of him. Sora stood up and brushed himself off.

"Ugh!" Sora groaned. "I just had these washed, too." He then turned to Pinkie. "Why do you hop around so much?"

Pinkie gasped in horror upon hearing that. "Why? Why? Because Pinkie love to hop! It best thing since...ever!" She then looked around the area. "But, Pinkie's hopping spot some how went poof. So until it unpoofes, this place Pinkie's new spot!" She then ran off into the garden to play.

"My garden!" Red exclaimed. "Pinkie will ruin my vegetables unless we don't stop her! But she is too stubborn to even listen!"

"I have a new idea!" Sora said snapping his finger. "What if I try to stop her from stepping on your vegetables?"

"How will Sora do that?" Green asked.

"Perhaps I could help." Called a voice. The group turned to see the elder Yoshi walk up to them. "I see you're in quite a fix Sora so, you could use some help. Perhaps you can tire her out. The carrots will become completely squished if she manages to step on it twice. How are you going to that? Quite, elementary. Just reach the spot before she does and stop her. Speed is the key in this conflict so, be careful. "

Sora ran onto the garden and jumped in front of a carrot. Pinkie was about to land on it when Sora put his hands up and bounced her up. Thinking it was a game, she quickly hopped to the next one and squashed it once. Sora concentrated and watched the position her body made before she jumped. Sora quickly got to the next carrot and bounced her off again. She then hopped to the next one and was about to stomp on it when Sora quickly slid across the ground and stopped her again. The two want at it for five minutes with everyone watching a bit nervous. Finally, Pinkie got exhausted and sat down on the floor. Sora panted for air as did Pinkie. She then stood up and sighed.

"Wow!" She panted, tiredly. "Sora do pretty good. Pinkie want to play again some other time."

"Sure." Sora nodded. "That was fun. I'd like to play again too."

"Then Pinkie be seeing you." Pinkie said waving good-bye. She then ran off and red ran over to Sora.

"Thank you." He said. "You saved my garden. Now we should have enough carrots to pop Mario out of there. I shall make the carrot juice so please wait inside." Sora nodded and the trio went into Red's house. After a few minutes of waiting, Red walked back in the house rubbing his hands. "Well, what a day this has been. I just gave Mario the carrot juice and this was all over a bowl of pasta."

"So, can I push him out know?" Sora asked.

"Lightly, though." Red said with caution. "Don't over due it!"

Sora ran up to the hole where Baby Mario is and pushed against him, sending him flying out of the hole and crashing into pasta bowls which were on the ground.

Sora rubbed his head nervously upon realizing he overdid it. "Oops."

Red walked up to the hole and sighed. "This is terrible! First the hole and now this? I need to lie down."

Meanwhile, Baby Mario's head was stuck in a small pasta bowl.

"Mama-mia!" Baby Mario cried. "Who turned out the lights?" He then giggled. "Oh, well, at least I've got enough pasta in here to hold me till dinner."

Sora chuckled at the comment and he returned with Green to the beach area where they got another item.

"Well..." Sora began. "Two down and three to go! Right, Yoshi?"

Sora turned to see that Green was talking to other Yoshis near by. Sora began to felt nervous again wondering if Green would want to stay here. Sure, he would feel very happy but, Green had a major impact on Sora's life. He was there for Sora throughout the good and bad times. They would always have fun together and have always fought together at each other's side. Now it seems that their bond was getting weaker. Sora tried to call Green but, he wouldn't respond. He was too busy talking with his fellow Yoshis. Deciding it was for the best, Sora opened the book and looked at the next page. As he looked down, he felt a tear streaming down his eye and the tear gently dropped onto the book.

**To Be Continued...**


	25. A Storybook Ending Part II

A/N: Anyone whoever is still saying Sonic isn't Nintendo I shall say that I don't own Sonic or any other characters from the Sonic world and Sonic Adventure Storyline just in case.

**Chapter XXIV: A Storybook Ending Part II**

Sora arrived at another location after looking at the new page that appeared. He was in a jungle part of the area where he noticed smaller islands in the middle of a giant lake. To his left, he could see a giant tree with a swing on it. He also noticed a bunch of sticks in the shape of a tent.

"_Okay, ths place defiantly reminds_ _me of that book." _Sora thought, looking around the area. He then noticed a bridge that was connecting the two bigger islands. On the bridge he noticed the Baby Mario Brothers hanging over the railings on the left side of the bridge. "Hey, guys!"

Baby Luigi turned excitedly to see Sora walking up to them. "Mario! Mario! It's Sora."

"Hi, Sora." Baby Mario said, greeting the spiked haired hero. He then noticed a depressing look on Sora's face. "Sora, are you okay? You look a little sad."

"Huh?" a confused Sora asked. He then tried to cheer up. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just miss my friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah." Sora began. "You see, I got separated from my friends and I am kind of in the middle of a quest to find my friends. Now and then I feel sad because I miss them."

"Don't worry." a assuring Baby Mario said. "You'll-a-find them. Just don't give up."

"Hey, Mario!" Baby Luigi called to his brother. "There's something in the water."

Sora and the babies looked over the bridge to see the blue, calm water as it slowly moved down stream. At first Sora couldn't noticed anything in the water, when he saw a familiar body shape making its way down the stream.

"It's a Yoshi!" Sora exclaimed.

This Yoshi had dark blue skin and wore red shoes slowly floating down the stream. Baby Mario looked down with a surprised gasp and turned to his brother.

"It's-a-Dark Blue!" Baby Mario told his younger sibling. "I think he's sunbathing." He then looked over the bridge and waved at Dark Blue. "Hi, Dark Blue! Do you have any pasta?"

Dark Blue looked up with a depressing look in his eyes and talked with a monotone voice. "Hello, Mario. It's me. Leading a depressing day and with no pasta.."

Baby Mario just sighed at the comment, while Sora just chuckled.

"Heh, he reminds me of that stuffed donkey with the tail that always falls off." Sora chuckled.

"What are you doing down there?" Baby Luigi asked. "Are you hiding from a monster?"

"No, I just sort of fell in here and I don't know how to swim." Dark Blue responded, sighing sadly. "I greatly asked that you pull me out but, you don't have to."

"Poor guy." Sora said, feeling sorry for the Yoshi. "We should help."

"What are you nuts?" Baby Luigi asked with shock. "There's no way we can even get down there!" However, as he said this, he tilted over the side of the bridge and fell into the water. "AHHHH!"

Sora just rolled his eyes with a chuckle._ "Typical Luigi."_

Baby Luigi came out of the water and panicked and flapped his arms around. "Help! Help! I'm drowning! I can't swim!"

Sora walked off the bridge and went down the hill. He picked up the baby who thought he was still drowning.

"Mario! I'm not going to make it! When I'm gone you can have my bowl of pasta!" Baby Luigi cried. He then calmly stopped and looked to see he was floating and then he started crying. "Oh, mama-mia! I must be heading to that great pasta place in the sky."

"Um, Luigi." Sora said softly. "You're safe, I got you."

Baby Luigi turned to see he was safely with Sora and he nervously turned back to Baby Mario. "Oh, about the pasta thing...I lied."

Baby Mario just sighed. "Aw, man."

Sora put Baby Luigi down and went into the water. The water was low enough so, it only went up to about to his knees. Sora picked up the Yoshi and brought him to the dry land and placed him on the ground. The babies came over to make sure he was okay.

"Thank you, stranger." Dark Blue said to Sora. "However, it was weird, as I traveled down that stream, I could have sworn I was missing something."

Sora looked over the Yoshi trying to see if he was missing anything. As he looked at the Yoshi's back, he remembered that Yoshis always wore those saddles. But this one didn't have one.

"Hey, don't you normally wear a saddle?" Sora asked.

Dark Blue turned his head to look at his back and noticed his saddle was gone. "Yup, must have gotten tired and walked off again."

"Erm...actually...you probably..." Sora began.

"I wonder where it went this time." Dark Blue said, cutting Sora off. "I sort of grown attached to it. Not that you have to, but would you search for it, please?"

"Okay." Baby Mario nodded. "Sora, let's look for that saddle."

"Yeah, but this place is kinda big." Sora pointed out. "How can we possibly find it?"

"Perhaps, a better view could help." called a voice.

Sora turned to see the elder Yoshi showing up with Green, Pinkie, and Red. He noticed that Yoshi was too busy talking to Pinkie to notice him but, remembering he had to help a friend, he turned back to the elder.

"Sir, is there anyway we can get a better view." Sora asked the elder.

"Yes, but I can't help you from there." The elder said. "My vision isn't as great as it used to be. I enjoy reading a bit too much. But I can offer assistance. However, I respect the Dark Blue Yoshi's wishes and you don't need to..."

"Forget it!" Sora interrupted with confidence. "I never give up! He's a friend so, he shouldn't deserve to be like this!"

"Such a nice boy." The elder smiled. "That's the spirit. Now, meet me at the swing over there by that tree." Sora was about to say something but was cut off. "Yes, I realize that you can't fit on it but, Mario should do just fine."

"Yeah, Luigi would be too afraid to do it." Sora snickered.

"I would not!" Baby Luigi snapped at Sora.

"Okay then, bro." Baby Mario smiled, putting his arm around his younger sibling's back. "I'll leave it to you then."

Baby Luigi looked nervously at the swing. "Um, on second thought..."

"It's okay, bro." Baby Mario giggled. "I'll-a-do it."

Sora picked up Baby Mario and rolled his eyes. _"I'll say it again, typical scared-cat Luigi."_

Sora carried Baby Mario on his shoulders and walked over to the tree with the swing. On the way, Baby Mario got hungry and Sora stopped at a bowl of pasta and Baby Mario jumped into it and ate it. After a few minutes, Sora picked up the Baby and the two headed up a small hill and arrived at the swing. Sora placed the baby on the swing and the elder walked up the hill, a bit tired.

"Whew! Sorry, not as fast as I used to be." The elder huffed. He then took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Now then, prepare to swing Mario. Put your hand near the edge of either side depending on if your left handed or right handed."

Sora walked over to where he could put his right hand on the swing. "Like this, right?"

"Correct." The elder nod. "Now try not to push too hard or too soft." Sora pushed, trying not to use his full strength. Baby Mario went half way up and half way back, cheering all the way. "Good, exactly! Now, as he comes back towards you try to keep pushing to make him go higher and higher. Don't worry, I may not see as far but, I have a good sense of timing." He then turned his back from Sora and Baby Mario. "Just watch for my tail to rise, that's when you push again. Soon enough, Mario will be sent flying."

"Wait!" Sora cried. "Mario could get hurt if he goes..."

The elder handed Sora a strange feather. "Give this to him. He'll know when to use it."

"Okay." Sora nodded. He then gave the feather to Baby Mario. "Here, you'll know when to use this."

Baby Mario simply nodded to Sora. He pushed the swing and Baby Mario went up into the air. As he came back, the elder raised his tail giving Sora the cue to push the swing again. Sora kept doing this a few more times, when Baby Mario went flying off the swing and into the air. Baby Mario held the feather out and flashed. Everyone gasped as Baby Mario was now wearing a yellow cape and was flying in the air. He searched through the air, trying to find the missing saddle but, to everyone's dismay, had no luck.

Baby Mario took his cape off and held it with both hands and used it at a parachute to float to the ground. Unfortunately, his landing was a bit rough because he landed on top of the pile of sticks. Everyone quickly ran to Baby Mario's aid as fast as they could. As Sora looked down he could see a Yoshi saddle on the ground. Green walked up to it and sniffed it.

"Yoshi seen that before." Green said. "But where?"

Sora just chuckled at the comment and picked up the saddle and placed it on Dark Blue's back.

"How's it looking?" Baby Mario asked Sora.

"There!" Sora said, finishing it. "Good as new!"

Dark Blue looked back at his saddle and smiled. "Well, it's not much of a saddle, but it's still my saddle."

"I'm happy for you Dark Blue, but how are we going to restore the island?" Baby Mario sighed.

Sora knew what his mission was and he tended to bring piece back to the island. He was going to tell Green to come but he was too busy talking with his fellow Yoshis. Sora put his hands down his pockets and sighed sadly. The elder noticed this and patted his back.

"Um, Sora." He said. "We'd appreciate it if you continued your quest. I'll look after your Yoshi for you."

"Thank you, sir." Sora nodded.

Sora left leaving the elder with a concerned look._"It seems that Sora is worried about his Yoshi staying here."_

Sora returned to the empty beach area to where he saw a crystal and upon using it he gained an upgrade to his stop ability. Noticing another spot appearing in his book he tapped the picture and arrived in another location. He looked around to see he was in the middle of the jungle. He noticed vines all around, fruit growing on bushes, cut logs that were all over the area. Sora noticed Pinkie and a light blue Yoshi were playing on a piece of wood that was on a small log, making it like a seesaw.

"Hey, it Sora!" Light Blue said to Pinkie.

"Hiya, Sora!" Pinkie cheered. "Pinkie welcome Sora to favorite hoping spot! Does Sora know what Pinkie does at hop spot?"

"Um, let me guess." Sora said playfully. "Hop!"

"Hey, how did Sora know?" a disappointed Pinkie asked.

"Lucky guess." Sora chuckled. He then made an upset look again.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Light Blue asked.

"Oh, nothing." Sora sighed. "I'm just a little sad right now."

Pinkie felt sorry for Sora and wish she could help. "Aw, Pinkie wish she had an idea to help make Sora feel better."

Light Blue thought about if for a second and then arose with an idea. "Pinkie, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"Pinkie think so, but does Light Blue like her eggs sunny side up or down?" Pinkie asked. She then heard Sora laughing at the responds. "What so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." Sora laughed. "That just reminded me of a show I used to watch on TV." He then sang to himself. "One is a genius, the others in..." He then turned back to the Yoshis before he finished. "What did you guys have in mind?"

"Well, would Sora like to play with Light Blue and Pinkie to make him feel better?" Pinkie asked. Sora decided it would nice to try and take this whole Yoshi situation off his mind for a little while. He nodded and the female Yoshis cheered. "Hooray!"

"Then Sora play Follow the Leader with us." Light Blue offered.

The elder showed up ready to give advise when Light Blue looked at him.

"_Man, is this guy secretly spying on me or something?" _Sora thought.

"But elder no hop like Light Blue and Pinkie do." Light Blue pointed.

The elder then sighed. "You're right, dear. Even I can't master everything. I'll be around if you need me, Sora." The elder walked off to the side and Light Blue jumped off.

"Follow, Pinkie!" Pinkie said.

Pinkie did a cartwheel, whichLight Blue followed, and then was followed by Sora. She then hopped onto a cut log and hopped onto a higher one. The other two followed and hopped their way on. Pinkie grabbed a vine and swung across the log to another one. Light Blue went next, followed by Sora.

"Okay, that a little too easy." Pinkie said. "Now try this."

She then jumped up and grabbed a branch and swung around it and hopped off, landing on the ground. Light Blue went next and did the same. Sora jumped up and was ready, but the branch snapped on him and he fell. He quickly looked to the side to see another branch and using his keyblade, he reached for it and pulled across to another log. Pinkie then hopped onto another tree and jumped from branch to branch. Light Blue followed as well but, Sora was a little cautious considering he was twice their weight and the branches weren't exactly supportive. Nether the less, he was able to jump across.

"Wow!" Sora said to himself. "This is one game of follow the leader no five year old could keep up with."

Pinkie then hopped from one log to another and the others followed her. She then hopped onto the seesaw and Light Blue hopped onto the other one, which sent her flying into a tree.

"Your turn, Sora!" She called to Sora. "And do it like this!"

She then stuck her tongue out and hit the other branch and swung across it. Sora chuckled nervously upon seeing that.

"Um, I can't really..." He began.

"It okay." Light Blue said assuring. "Just use alternate way."

Nodding, Sora jumped onto the seesaw and Light Blue jumped up and back down, sending Sora high up into the tree. He then jumped off it and hopped to where Pinkie was waiting.

"Ooh, Sora fun to play with!" Pinkie said, clapping her hands. "Meet Pinkie at low log."

She then jumped her way down to the log. Sora backed up ready to jump but as he did, he noticed his green yoshi talking with the others. Trying to shrug it off he ran forward and jumped. As he did, he heard Green say something that broke his heart.

"Yoshi wish he could stay here forever." Green said with excitement.

Sora was a bit far off so he couldn't hear everything that Green said. He thought that Green said "Yoshi going to stay here forever." This caused Sora to miss the log and hit the ground. The two Yoshis ran over to help but, he was able to get up.

"Ow." He groaned. "Now I know how Luigi feels." He stood up and walked up to the Yoshis. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Not perfect you know."

"It okay." Pinkie responded with a smile. "Sora do really good."

"Hey, Pinkie." Light Blue said. "Dose Pinkie think Sora ready for the big one?"

"The big one?" Sora asked confused.

"Pinkie think so." Pinkie nodded. "Does Sora think he up to challenge?"

Gaining his confidence, Sora shouted. "I'll do it!"

"Good!" Pinkie nodded. "Then stay right there."

The two Yoshis ran off for a second leaving Sora alone. He was in a predicament considering his yoshi hasn't talked to him in awhile or has been mentioning he wants to stay here. Sora respected Green's wishes very much but it was Green who pushed him onto becoming stronger and give him more confidence. It was green who was there for him when Riku betrayed him. He even admits that his friendship with Green has become even stronger then his friendship with Riku. Sora just couldn't deal with the fact that he might lose another person or animal who was very close with him. The two female yoshis returned with a giant egg which caused Sora to gasp in amazement.

"A giant yoshi egg?" Sora gasped in shock.

"Yes, in this game, Pinkie go inside egg and shoot eggs at Sora." Pinkie explained. "Sora's job is to send egg back and break giant egg."

"Um, okay." Sora shrugged. "I guess so."

Sora hopped onto a cut log while Pinkie opened the top of the egg and climbed into it.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

Pinkie threw an egg at Sora which he knocked back, hitting the egg. at the giant egg. The giant egg began to tilt as Pinkie went flying back. She threw another egg out and Sora tried to hit it but, it missed and went splat on the ground. Another egg came out and Sora jumped up high and hit it back again causing a small crack. Another egg came out and missed Sora again and this time it hit right near by Baby Luigi who got egg all over him.

"Hey!" Baby Luigi cried.

Sora chuckled upon seeing that and turned back just in time to hit another one back. Another egg was coming at him when he firmly took the keyblade and got ready.

"This is a move Tidus taught me." Sora said.

As the egg came at him Sora put his keyblade down and lightly punched the egg back at the big egg, which ironically bounced back a little bit higher. He did this a few more times until it went well over the egg. Sora jumped into the air and spun his body and kicked the egg right back at the giant egg so hard it split it in two. Everyone looked at him in shock as he rubbed his head.

"W-what was that?" Red asked in shock.

"It's a move called the 'Sublimely Magnificent Ject Shot Mark III.'" Sora responded. "A friend of mind taught it to me and I never knew why it has such a long name."

"Oh." Red said.

"Well, good job anyway." Pinkie said. "Sora big winner! And Pinkie have prize for you, a brand new car!"

"Really?" Sora asked with hope.

"No." Pinkie sighed.

"Aw, man." Sora said disappointed.

"Sora sure know how to have fun." Light Blue giggled. "Can Sora play again?""

"I would, but I have a mission to complete." Sora said. The female yoshis went aw and Sora smiled. "Don't worry, maybe we can play again some other time."

"Yay!" The Yoshis cheered. "That be fun!"

"Well, see ya later!" Sora said, waving good-bye.

As Sora left, Baby Mario lightly touched the yolk on Baby Luigi and tasted it.

"Luigi, can I eat you?" Baby Mario asked. "You taste good."

Sora got ready to leave the area, when he was stopped by the elder.

"Hello, Sora." The elder said. "I'm glad to see that you have only one more page to go."

"Uh-huh." Sora nodded. "Soon Yoshi and I will be..."

"The reason I stopped you is because I've been watching you for sometime." The elder interrupted. "You're coping with a difficult decision with the Yoshi you came here with."

"Yeah, but I want to make Yoshi happy." Sora said putting his hands in his pocket sadly. "He's the best friend I ever had ever since Riku's gone totally weird on me. I don't know what to do. I'm happy for him but, if I let him go, I'll miss him too much. He's been the greatest friend ever and if I let go, I would lose another friend. But, it seems like he wants to stay here because he's been ignoring me and he even said he wants to stay here."

Sora could feel tears streaming entering his eyes. This is the first time he talked about this to someone so it wasn't easy for him. He fought back his tears as the elder patted his back.

"I understand." The elder said with a nod. "I think the reason he's been ignoring you is because he wants to look at some new faces. Don't get me wrong, he loves to be with you, but this is a rare opportunity for him to meet others of his kind. Having a best-friend is sometimes like having a brother or a sister. Older best friends much like a sibling want to see that the younger sibling lead a happy life and sometimes may know what's right for them."

"Well, Riku always looked out for me." Sora said. "He'd do anything to keep me happy, whether it was letting me being the captain in a game of Pirates or giving me a chance to use the paopu fruit to give to Kairi."

"You must make up your mind as to rather he should stay or not." The elder explained. "But if you want to keep him happy, then you should let him go. Let your heart show you the answer you seek. But, try to think about it while you complete your final task."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that." Sora said with a little monotone in his voice.

Sora left the area using his magic book and arrived outside at the beach area where he received another item and headed to his book. He then noticed that another beach area had appeared on the book. As he tapped it lightly, he could feel his body being pulled again by gravity. As he looked up he saw that he was on the sand. In the middle of the area was a giant bush with a hole in it. He then noticed footprints on the ground. They were about three times smaller then his feet but, then again with Sora's big feet it could have been seven times. Sora then look to see Baby Mario walking from around the corner.

"Mario, what are you..." Sora began.

"Shh. Be quite!" Baby Mario said, shushing Sora. He then talked quietly to Sora. "If you keep talking they may get away."

"Who might get away?" Sora asked curiously.

"The people that took my friends and Luigi." Baby Mario responded. "See those footprints in the mud?" Sora looked to notice the footprints in the sand went around in a circle. Based on their size, Sora knew right away they were Baby Mario's. "We were all sticking together to make sure no one got lost again. But then, I saw some interesting footprints that looked like they need following. So I did and when I turned around everyone went bye-bye. Sora, bad people took my friends away! Can you find them and give them boo-boos with that key-sword of yours?"

"Calm down." Sora said warmly putting his hands on the baby's shoulders. "Actually, those footprints look more like...um...never mind. Don't worry, I'll help you find your friends."

"Thanks Sora." Baby Mario cheered.

Sora began to look around for any sign of Baby Mario's friends with seeing not a soul in sight. As he walked past the giant bush he could see a dark blue color inside of it. Once again being his old curious self, he walked up to it and opened up the bush and saw Dark Blue in the middle of it.

"Dark Blue?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Hello." Dark Blue said with his monotones voice.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, just taking a rest in this nice bush." He responded. "I'm still looking for a house."

"A house, huh?" Sora said observing the area. "This place already looks like a home." He then thought about something for a minute. "In fact, this might be a great place to gather the others."

"Help!" called a voice.

Sora and Baby Mario left the bush area and entered the next part where it was an entire area of little islands on the water. Sora and Baby Mario looked around to find where that call from help was coming from. They then looked to see Light Blue was stuck in a tree with her foot caught in the vine.

"Hey!" Sora called. "Are you alright?"

Sora threw his keyblade at the vine causing it to snap. Light Blue fell and Sora caught her in his arms and put her down.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Light Blue was hoping by herself when she hopped a little too far."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Sora smiled. "Just go wait over by the bush on the beach."

"Okay." She nodded.

Light Blue left to go find Dark Blue in the bush. Sora and Baby Mario continued their quest to find the other yoshis. As they walked across a bridge they could have sworn they heard someone or something making a growling sound. Baby Mario coward behind Sora as the sound grew louder and louder. He then noticed a bush that was rustling from the sound and bravely approached it. As he slowly opened the bush, the two looked in and saw Red past out on the ground.

"Oh, that's what that sound was." Baby Mario sighed with relief. He then shook Red and he woke up.

"Huh?" He yawned. "What happened?" He then looked around the area. "Oh, no! I fell asleep again! I was looking for Pinkie when I somehow got tired. Have you two seen her?" The two shook their heads. "Didn't think so."

"Look, we'll find her." Sora said. "Just go back to the bush on the beach and wait there."

"Okay, thanks."

Red ran out of the bush and left. Sora and Baby Mario continued their search for the remaining yoshis and Baby Luigi. They headed through a northern part of the area and arrived at another part with a green pipe in the distance. Sora could then hear another cry for help.

"That sounded like Pinkie!" Sora cried. "She's in trouble!"

Sora and Baby Mario ran through to the next area to see Pinkie was surrounded by two man eating plants. Baby Mario quickly grabbed a feather and transformed into Cape Baby Mario and spun himself at the plants, knocking them into the water. Pinkie sighed with relief and shook Baby Mario's hand.

"Thank you, Mario!" She said excitedly. "Pinkie was wondering too far when she got surrounded by monsters. Pinkie should have listened to elder. Pinkie be good girl from now on."

"Just head back to that bush in the corner and wait for us." Sora instructed.

Pinkie nodded and left as the other two. As the two continued their search Sora stopped to realize something.

"I wonder if my Yoshi is here." Sora wondered to himself. "If he was with them, then I'm sure he'd be here."

"Maybe." Baby Mario shrugged. "We can find my brother too."

"Heh, your brother is easy." Sora chuckled. "Just look in the most hidden spots and you'll find him. Then he'll cry out leapen lasagna or holy ravioli as he runs out."

"Wow!" Baby Mario said, amazed. "You seem to know my brother so well. Have you two met before?"

"Well..." Sora began, trying not to tell him the truth. "You could say that." He then chuckled. _"Luigi, can't live with him, can't live without him." _The two continued walking through the island, walking across bridges and looking up at palm trees for any of their friends. Finally, they saw a spinning flower that went up to a short ledge with a pipe and grass area above it. Also, there was another tree up there with a small hole in it and Sora noticed a green hat sticking out. "I think I see Luigi!"

"Where?" Baby Mario asked.

"Up there!" Sora pointed. He then jumped up to the ledge but, since he had to pull himself up with both hands he couldn't bring Baby Mario up. He then tried to get Baby Luigi himself but realized something. _"Since he's not used to me yet, Luigi would probably get scared. I need to think of someway to bring Mario up here." _He looked around seeing if he could use anything when he noticed the spinning flower. It was blowing air up which baffled Sora considering that, flowers can't produce air. Shrugging it aside, he looked down to the baby. "Mario, can you ride that flower up?"

"Oh, yeah." Baby Mario giggled. "That's too easy."

Baby Mario slowly climbed onto the flower and as he landed on middle, the air from the flower sending him flying into the air. Sora caught Baby Mario just as he got up to Sora's chest level and placed him in front of the hole where Baby Luigi was. Baby Mario crawled in and smiled at his younger sibling.

"Hey, Luigi." Baby Mario greeted. "What are you doing?"

"H-hiding." Baby Luigi gulped.

"From who?"

"Um, I don't." Baby Luigi shrugged. "I saw the elder looking for that green Yoshi, when I was all alone and I saw this dark thing behind me. I tried to run but it followed me until I found this hole to hide in."

"Luigi!" Baby Mario laughed. "That was your shadow!"

"Oh." Baby Luigi realized. "No wonder it looked so good looking."

Sora laughed at the comment. "That is so true!" He then remembered what Baby Luigi just said about his yoshi. "Wait, where is the elder?"

"Over here, Sora." called a voice. He turned to see the elder approaching them. "I over heard everything and if you are looking for your yoshi, he went down that pipe."

"Why didn't you go after him then?" an upset Sora asked.

"Oh, I would have gone after him it's just that the pipe leads to a very dark and small cave." The elder explained.

"Oh, sorry." Sora apologized. "Guess you better leave that to me." He then grabbed a stick and using his fire lit it. "You and Luigi head to the bush and wait for us. We'll be back soon."

The elder picked up Baby Luigi and put him on his back. The two then left as Sora picked up Baby Mario and the two headed down the green pipe. The cave itself was a very small, brown, and was just a round area. Right away as they entered Sora could hear Green whimpering. He turned to his right and saw Green on the floor curled up into a ball. Sora bent down and gently petted his nose. Green could feel the familiar warmth of Sora's hand and looked up to see him.

"S-Sora?" Green asked nervously.

"Don't worry." Sora said warmly. "I'm here now and everything is okay." Sora stroked Green's head as he sat up and took the strokes coming from his friend. He felt safer knowing that Sora was with him now. "Come on, buddy. Let's get out of this place."

Taking Green's hand, Sora left the area and Baby Mario followed. Outside, the three made their way back to the bush. It only took a few minutes for the trio to arrive back at the bush where everyone was waiting for them. The moment they arrived Green ran over to his fellow yoshis and began to hug them. Sora now knew that Yoshi didn't care, or so he thought. After brining him back from the darkness he didn't even say thank you or ask for a ride back. He knew what had to be done and it was one of the most hardest things he had to do.

Baby Mario took Sora's hand as he could feel his sorrow and smiled at him.

"Sora!" Baby Mario said, trying to help him feel better. "We gathered everyone. Thank you for finding my friends."

"Uh, no problem." Sora said with a little smile. "Glad to help."

"Come with us." Baby Mario smiled. "We want to show you something amazing."

"Amazing?" Sora asked, sounding interested. "What kind of amazing thing?"

"Just come on!" Baby Mario said, pulling Sora along.

Night came very quickly and stars lit up the sky with glamor and brightness. The full moon was shining down on the gang as they were all circled around a giant tree which had fruit on it and a giant heart with a smile on it. They didn't need a campfire because the heart was so bright, it didn't it. Baby Luigi looked up at the tree and smiled.

"I'm so glad we're all together again." Baby Luigi said happily. "Now we can eat pasta all day long again." He then sighed. "But, I was so scared being lonely, so lonely I thought I was going to go in my..."

Pinkie quickly interrupted. "Aw, Luigi need to be brave like Pinkie."

"You mean you weren't scared at all?" Baby Luigi asked, tilting his head.

"Of course not!" Pinkie said, proudly standing up. "Pinkie afraid of nothing! Pinkie can handle being alone." She then paused remembering her earlier encounter with the plants. "On second thought, friends good."

Sora was sitting by himself, looking up to the beauty of the tree. He looked to see his yoshi was once again talking to other yoshis. Sora knew what was going to be done. He could hear Baby Mario pouting a little bit and quickly turned to him.

"Mario?" Sora asked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." He sniffled. "It's a just...my pasta bowl is empty."

Sora chuckled and rolled his eyes with a smile. Then, he stood up and stretched.

"Well, time for me to hit the road." Sora said.

"Where are you going, Sora?" Baby Luigi asked. "I wanted to tell you a funny joke."

"Uh, that's okay." Sora said, sheepishly rubbing his head. "I get enough of that back where I come from. Besides, I need to go find my friends. They're waiting for me."

"Well, then good luck and if you are ever falling from the sky again, drop in on us." Baby Luigi joked. "Get it? Dropped in? I should write that down!"

"I knew I couldn't escape those jokes of his." Sora said to himself.

Sora began to walk off when he passed by the elder.

"Sora, did you make a decision?" The elder asked with a whisper.

Sora put his hands in his pocket and sighed sadly saying. "Take real good care of him."

"Do you even want to say..."

"No." Sora said quietly. "It's kind of hard for me. Would you do it for me, please?"

"Well, alright." The elder sighed. "You know that you can always come back."

"I know." Sora said. "It's just...things won't be the same without him."

"Are you sure you wish to do this?" The elder asked again. Sora nodded again and the elder smiled. "If that is your wish then proceed. Thank you for all the help."

Sora slowly made his way down the hill and left in silence. As he left, he could hear Baby Mario calling to him.

"Sora!" Baby Mario called. "Just remember that we shall always be here. That is, if you'd like to visit again."

"I will!" Sora called back to Baby Mario. "And don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet again real soon."

Baby Mario waved good-bye as his new friend slowly walked away. Sora felt a bit sick as he was so upset. His stomach felt like a rock and his feet put on even more weight as he walked. He looked back to see Yoshi laughing and playing away with his fellow yoshis. He was glad that Baby Mario and his friends had a happy ending but Sora himself was another story. As he walked down the long sandy beach his mind slipped into memory lane as he remembered the first day he met Yoshi when the young dinosaur fell on top of him. From there and to now there friendship grew stronger as they fought the heartless together. Defeating K. Rool. Ganondorf, The Nightmare, and Black Shadow with pride in their eyes. Yoshi always made him smile, especially when he and Luigi did silly things together or when they would play practical jokes on the pasta eating plumber.

The most important memories that Sora was how supportive he was through Sora's venture. Whenever he was down, Yoshi would cheer him up. When he sometimes felt like giving up, Yoshi would push him on. Sora now knows that his friendship with Yoshi has grown stronger and Yoshi has felt like a younger brother. Sora felt his heart sank and guilt entered it. At one point, something was telling him to go over there right now and tell Yoshi how badly he would miss him. However, something was holding him back but, he didn't know what it was. It was like a voice was telling him to press on and try to feel happy for Yoshi.

As he arrived at the beach, he sat down for a few minutes taking a break from a long walk. He looked out into the shore as the water lit the night sky. It reminded him of when he and Kairi would sit out there and look at the stars together. For a moment, he thought he was at home again enjoying a great day with Riku and Kairi but he wasn't. This was his reality and he could not change it. He sighed sadly again and felt tears streaming down his face. Wiping them aside, he was about to stand up and leave when he could feel something holding his hand. His heart began to beat faster and he felt nervous. Slowly turning around, he saw Yoshi sitting next to him with a smile.

"Hi, Sora." Yoshi greeted the keyblade master. He then frowned at him. "Why did Sora leave without Yoshi?"

Sora took a deep breath as he explained. "Well...Yoshi...I knew how much you wanted to find this home and when you did, you started to ignore me. And when I was playing that game with Pinkie you said you wanted to stay here forever."

Yoshi laughed at the comment. "Oh, Sora. Sora misheard Yoshi. Yoshi said he wish he could stay here forever. But Yoshi much rather be with Sora and Luigi."

"But this is your home!" Sora gasped in surprise. "You'd rather be with us then live in a utopia like this?"

"Yoshi love place but, it will get boring after awhile." Yoshi explained. "Yoshi love adventures he goes on with Luigi and Sora. Yoshi love it when Luigi fall down and go boom. There so many different foods to try and Yoshi meet new faces. But most of all, Yoshi would miss Sora too much."

Sora felt like he was about ready to choke at the comment. He never knew how such a young dinosaur could have such a big heart.

"Y-you'd miss m-me the most." Sora sniffled a little bit.

"Yoshi love Sora." Yoshi giggled. "Sora and Yoshi best friends forever."

Sora put his head down in embarrassment and could feel tears rushing down his face. Yoshi hugged him and licked his face. The elder was watching near by and smiled. He was happy to see the two friends reunited. He then slowly turned away and walked off. A few minutes later, Sora cradled Yoshi in his arms as began to calm down from his episode.

"Thank you, Yoshi." Sora said. "I always knew I could count on a friend like you. What do you say we go see Luigi? And after, I'll get you an ice cream."

"Sora the best!" Yoshi cheered.

"Yoshi the best too." Sora responded with his famous smile.

Picking up Yoshi, the two friends moved as Yoshi sang a song his fellow yoshis. Although he didn't understand the words to the song, Sora enjoyed it the same. As they arrived at the portal to home, they could see the keyhole appear inside of it. Using his keyblade, Sora sealed it, making the familiar locking. The two looked at each other and smiled and Yoshi licked his face. The two then went through the portal, knowing that perhaps stories can have a happy ending and that's what Sora was shooting for.


	26. A Hassle in the Castle Part I

A/N: As a twist for the next chapter, I've added a Final Fantasy Character. I was going to do an idea with the summons but I realized that the idea was already taken. The only clue I'll give about this person is that he had some of an importance in Final Fantasy X and he was one of the people you ran into a lot. Expect a long chapter here. Anyways, enjoy.

**Chapter XXV: A Hassle in the Castle Part I**

Back outside of the book, Mumbo Jumbo and Luigi were in the mists of playing poker. Wiseman returned into the room with a sigh.

"Ugh." He groaned. "I can't find that stupid key anywhere. " Sighing he walked up to Luigi. "Luigi..."

"Wait a second!" Luigi interrupted. "I'm just about to win!" He then looked in front of him. "Boy, I sure am glad that extra job at being a card dealer payed off."

Luigi could see his pot of gold coins he has been wagering. It was very big and almost the size of the ceiling while Mumbo's wasn't very big at all. Mumbo was sweating nervously as he looked at his hand. Gaining a confident look, he shoved his gold coins onto the middle of the table.

"Mumbo go all in!" Mumbo said, shoving his money into the middle.

"Then I'll go in as well." Luigi said, doing the same thing. He then sat back. "Okay, let's see those babies."

Mumbo laughed as he slammed his cards onto the table, revealing a full house. "Har! Har! Har! Mumbo have good hand this time. A full house!"

"That was a good show. I especially liked the guy who did the impressions." Luigi commented on something off topic. "But there was too many hugs and lessons to be learned." He then noticed everyone looking at him funny. "Oh, right! A full house, sorry. So, you think you got me beat? Check this out!"

He then slammed a royal flush onto the table. Mumbo Jumbo gasped in surprise and slammed his fists onto the table.

"That impossible!" Mumbo exclaimed. "That twelfth time in row! Plumber cheated!"

"What?" Luigi gasped, appalled at what he just heard. "For your information I never cheat! I just believe in the heart of the cards!" As he stood up, extra cards from his sleeves fell out and he noticed Wiseman giving him a dirty look.

"Heart of the cards?" Wiseman asked, raising his eyebrow. "More like cards in the sleeve."

Mumbo then got angry and took out his magic stick. Luigi backed up nervously and chuckled.

"Uh...hey...um...can't you take a joke?" Luigi gulped.

"Mumbo turn plumber into toad!" Mumbo shouted at Luigi.

"Wah!" Luigi screamed as he ran away from Mumbo.

Mumbo fired his beam at Luigi, which hit him and engulfed him into light. As it dimmed, Luigi was now a small green toad wearing only his hat.

"Har! Har! Har!" Mumbo laughed. "Joke on plumber now!"

"Change me back!" Luigi cried. He then noticed a fly. It was flying around the room and he was keeping his eyes on it. He jumped onto a book shelve and stuck his tongue out and ate it. "No! I don't want to eat flies! I want pasta! I'm sorry!" He then started crying. "Please!" He then stopped and saw another one and ate it.

"Mumbo, you've had your fun, so change him back." Mumbo instructed.

Mumbo nodded and changed Luigi back into his human state. He was on top of the book shelf and he fell off it and landed on his head.

"Ow!" Luigi cried in pain. He then stood up and rubbed his head. "Mama-mia! I guess I learned my lesson for today."

"Want a hug?" Mumbo joked.

"No!" Luigi cried.

Just then, a flash of light brightened the entire room and the three gasped. As they turned around, they could see the book was open. They then saw Sora and Yoshi come out of the book and landed on the ground.

"Sora! Yoshi!" Wiseman exclaimed.

Luigi ran up to his two friends and greeted them.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Luigi asked. "I've been worried sick."

"Yeah, we're okay." groaned Sora, as he stood up. "That book was Yoshi's world."

"Are you serious?" Luigi asked in shock.

"Yep!" Yoshi nodded. "But in the end, Yoshi rather stay with Luigi and Sora."

"Well, of course you would, kid." Luigi scoffed. "My brother and I took care of you after all." He then noticed Sora who was still a bit emotional after his reunion with Yoshi. "Are you okay kid? Were you crying?" Sora nodded shyly and Luigi just chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked, insulted.

"Nothing." Luigi said. "I just noticed that you've really grown attached to Yoshi over these past few weeks."

Sora picked up Yoshi and chuckled. "Sure have. If it wasn't for Yoshi, I don't know what I would have done. He's giving me confidence as well as you."

"For real?" Luigi asked with widened eyes.

"Of course." Sora smiled. "You guys have been great for these past few weeks. You've been there for me through the good times and bad. At first, I thought we were just together to find my friends and your brother but, as time went on, I've learned that you were more then just my accompanies."

"Aw, kid." Luigi blushed. "Putting aside your nagging, whining, being stubborn, confusion, miss guidance.."

"Luigi!" snapped Sora.

"Only joking." Luigi laughed. "Seriously, you've become one of my best friends. You've made my adventure so much fun. I haven't had this much of an adventure ever since my brother and I saved Beanbean Kingdom."

"Beanbean Kingdom?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrow in quirk. "What the heck is that? I bet it gets smelly down there, huh?"

"No kid!" Luigi snapped. "Please don't go there."

"Right, only kidding." Sora chuckled. "By the way, that world we in were told us something about you."

"About me?" a curious Luigi asked.

"Yeah, that some things never change." Yoshi giggled.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Luigi asked with anger.

"Hey, that's my line!" Sora chuckled. "But it was nothing." He then turned his attention to Wiseman. "Hey, while we were in there, we found another summon gem."

"Here." Mumbo offered. "Mumbo take look."

Sora handed the summon gem to Mumbo who looked. He then nodded and placed it on the floor.

"Who in there?" Yoshi asked.

"This summon called The Fire of the Emblem." Mumbo explained. "Stand back and prepare to receive power!"

He then fired his staff at the summon gem, releasing the energy with in it. Sora picked up the summon gem and noticed it glowing red like fire.

"Wow!" an amazed Sora said. "It's beautiful. Let's find out who's inside this thing."

Sora used the power of the gem to send his two allies into it and it caused a flash. Seconds later, Sora noticed a young man with blue hair standing before him. His appearance was medieval as he wore a short blue robe with yellow lines going through the opening in the middle. He wore giant blue gloves that went up a little pass his elbows, dark blue pants, light blue boots, and a red cape. He also had a sword on his belt which was in its sheath.

"Where am I?" the man asked, looking around his new environment. "I was just about to slay Medeus, when these black creatures attacked me." He then noticed Sora. "You boy, are you responsible for this?"

"Um...well...you see..." Sora began.

"It was Mumbo who did it." Mumbo said proudly.

The man then grabbed Mumbo by the throat and took out his sword.

"You fool!" the man said angrily. "You dare do this to me? Destroying my home? Then you shall fall before the falchion!"

"Now wait a minute." Sora said, trying to stop the fight.

"Stay out of my way child!" the man shouted, swiping his sword at Sora.

Sora dodged the attack and quickly took out his keyblade and blocked another attack sent at him. The man quickly thrust at Sora who dodged it and clashed with him again. The man rapidly hit his sword as Sora rapidly blocked with his keyblade. The man swiped horizontally and Sora ducked under it and ran away. The man chased him to the edge of the room, where Sora ran on the wall and jumped over the man.

"Please!" Sora pleased. "Stop! We don't mean any harm!"

"Likely story!" the man shouted. He rapidly clashed with Sora again. The man noticed that Sora wasn't even trying to attack. _"I don't get it. He's not even trying to fight back."_

The man vertically slashed at Sora who jumped out of the way. He then threw his sword at him who barely missed it. The man made a run for his sword but, Sora quickly grabbed it but, the man rushed passed the keyblade master and grabbed his sword. He then charged up his sword with a lot of energy and struck hard at Sora. The hit sent Sora flying across the room and crashing into a wall.

"Oh, no!" Wiseman gasped. "I just had that wall redecorated!"

The man quickly went over to the hole and jumped outside to see Sora on the ground. He weakly got back up and got angry.

"Resistance is futile!" the man said. "You're persistence will not help you defeat an expert swordsmen."

Sora weakly stood up and brought the tip of his keyblade to his face.

"That's it!" Sora said. "I was trying to be nice and give you a warm welcome but, now I'm going to have to fight you!"

The man charged at Sora again but, Sora used Strike Raid and knocked the sword out of his hand. Sora then used Ragnarok and rapidly slashed the man and sent him flying back into the house, crashing into the round table. Wiseman began to pull his hair out in frustration.

"That table cost me two-hundred gold coins!" Wiseman shouted.

Sora ran back into the house to see the man on the broken in half table. The man weakly got up and sighed heavily. He then smiled and picked up his sword and put it away.

"Alright, that's enough." the man nodded. "You passed the test."

"Test?" Sora asked with suspicion. "You mean this was all a test?"

"Correct." the man responded. "When those dark creatures attacked me, I was lost in the darkness. A voice told me that I was given a second chance. But I would have a master who would call me to battle and masters are even powerful then their apprentice and you've proven..." Sora then laughed at the comment. "And what might my master find funny?"

"Listen, dude." Sora chuckled. "You've got it all wrong. Your world was destroyed by a group of creatures known as the heartless. However, your heart was somehow able to survive the attack and you were placed in a summon gem. Now, Mumbo over here revived you so that you could help me fight those creatures."

"Oh, I see." the man said. "Well, then I apologize for the inconvenience." Sora nodded and the man bowed. "I am Marth. Once the prince of a kingdom known as Aritia, until I was exiled."

"My name is Sora." Sora said, shaking the prince's hand. "You're a pretty good sword fighter. You'll defiantly be a good help."

"Thank you, Sora." Marth nodded. "I shall take my leave and return when I am needed." He then turned to Mumbo. "And sorry if I startled you."

Mumbo just laughed. "Har! Har! Har! Mumbo forgive!"

Marth disappeared into the summon gem and Sora's friends returned from it.

"Hey, guys." Sora greeted his friends. "You okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Luigi groaned. "It's too crowded in there though."

Yoshi looked around the room to see the house in mess. "What happened to place?"

"Let's just say the next summon really brought down the house." Sora joked.

Yoshi and Mumbo started laughing at the joke while Luigi frowned.

"He's not funny!" Luigi shouted at Yoshi and Mumbo. "I could do ten times better then this kid!"

"Okay, prove it." Sora smirked with confidence.

Luigi was about to say something when Wiseman walked over with an angry look.

"I have a joke." Wiseman said. "Knock, knock."

"Who there?" Yoshi asked.

"Dead!"

"Dead who?" Sora wondered.

"Dead meat!" Wiseman shouted at Sora. "Just look at what you've done to my house!"

"It wasn't my fault." Sora said innocently.

"I think your forgetting about the ceiling kid." Luigi pointed. "Was it not us that fell through earlier?"

"Shut up!" Sora snapped at Luigi, blushing. He then turned back to Wiseman. "Listen, we'll pay you back every cent non the less."

"Oh, you better." Wiseman responded with an attitude. "But for now, take this." He gave Sora another keychain. "This Spellbinder keychain will increase your magic power. Just a reward for all the practice with magic."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to use it." Sora smiled with appreciated.

"NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Wiseman screamed at the trio.

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi quickly ran out the door and ran all the way back to Delfino Plaza. Upon arrival, the group stopped to catch their breath.

"Boy, he's ticked." Luigi said. "I tell you, if he actually tried, he could be as scary as Cid but still, no one can beat Cid when it comes to anger."

"Too true." Sora nodded in agreement. "Guys, we found two more of those navigation pieces, so we should go to the accessory shop to find Cid."

"But didn't Cid say he go back to real job?" Yoshi asked.

Sora gasped in realization. "Oh, yeah! I forgot! So, how are we going to find him?"

"This isn't a big place." Luigi said. "It shouldn't be so hard. Come on! Let's go before any heartless show up."

The trio began their search for Cid. On the way, the group noticed a small little post office right near them. As they looked in the window, they saw their friends from Shy Guy's Toybox.

"Hey!" Sora cried. "It's Goombario and his friends!"

Luigi looked in the window and gasped. "You're right!"

The trio entered the store and looked to see Goombario reading a book, and Koops in the back putting letters away. It was a pretty small post office with a brown wooden desk and brown wooden mail slots.

"Goombario!" Sora called to his friend.

Goombario looked up to see the trio and cried. "Sora! Luigi! Yoshi!" He then ran up to them and hopped up and down excitedly. "I'm so glad to see you guys again."

"We're glad you're okay." Luigi smiled.

"Hey, Koops!" Goombario called to Koops. "Sora and his friends are here!"

Koops turned to see the trio and smiled. "Hey, fellas. I'm glad to see you three made it out of there alive and well. A very kind man by the name of Leon helped us and even helped us start our own post office. At the moment it's just me and Goombario here. Lady Bow went down to the beach to tan."

"Since when do ghosts get tans?" Sora asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Koops shrugged. "And as for Parakarry, he's out doing the mail again." He then looked in the mail slots and saw a letter. "Oh, no! Parakarry missed one!" He then took it out and looked at it. "Oh, this is an order form for Cid."

"Cid as in Cid Highwind?"

"The same one." Koops answered. "Are you guys going to see him? If you are then could you give this to him? Oh, and take this as well."

Koops handed Sora a keychain, the letter, and a special block.

"A Toad Express block?" a confused Sora asked.

"Yeah, Koops can actually make special designs for the Toad Express." Goombario explained. "Use this and you'll get more fuel and rocket power for the Toad Express. It's out of gratitude for your help."

"Thanks." Sora smiled. "So, where is Cid?"

"Go over to the end of the harbor." Koops instructed. "You'll find him there."

The trio said there good-byes and headed over to the harbor. Surprisingly, no heartless attacked them as they walked through the harbor. At the end of it, they saw a counter on the outside and sleeping behind it was Cid. His chair was leaned back against a wall and he had his feet on his desk.

"Cid?" Sora asked quietly. He then gently moved Cid back and forth. "Are you awake?"

Cid then woke up very quickly and screamed in Sora's face. "GO AWAY YOU NOISY NEIGHBOR KID, I DON'T WANT A SELF-HELP BOOK!"

Sora coward behind Luigi and shook in fear.

"Cid, it's only us." Luigi said calmly.

"Oh, sorry." Cid sighed. "I overslept again. I'm usually cranky when I don't get my regular sleep." Everyone else chuckles at the comment "I wonder how long I've been asleep for?" Sora came out from behind Luigi and walked to the counter. "Sora, do you have the time?"

"Sure gramps..." He then noticed Cid making a threatening stare at him. "I mean Cid. It's a quarter passed five."

"WHAT?" Cid exclaimed, grabbing Sora by the shirt collar. "I'VE BEEN ASLEEP FOR 18 HOURS!"

"Cid, calm down." Sora gulped. "Dang, you make Grumpy from Snow White look real, real bad."

"Sorry." Cid sighed. "Tough day."

"Um, before we cause Cid another panic attack, we came here because..."

"Let me guess." Cid interrupted. "You brought me more Toad Express pieces."

"How did Cid know?" Yoshi gasped in amazement.

"Because I'm psychic." Cid responded, jokingly. "But seriously, I'll get it installed for you. By the way, forgot to tell you what I do. I now make block pieces for any type of plane. This new invention allows me to add special features to any plane by simply placing a block."

"Interesting." Sora said. He then went through his pocket and pulled out the order form. "Oh, and we got this order form for you." He then handed it to Cid.

"Oh, yeah." Cid chuckled. "I was wondering when I would get this. I'm pretty popular you know. Take this as thanks." He then gave Sora a brown bag. "Here's a starter kit so you can remodel the Toad Express."

"Thanks." Yoshi said.

"Should take me an hour to install the navigation system." Cid said. "So why don't you fellas get something to eat and meet me back here in an hour?"

"Yoshi do." Yoshi nodded excitedly. He then ran off in a hurry.

"Well, now you did it Cid." Sora chuckled. "You had to say that word."

"What did I say?" Cid asked with a confused look.

"You said Yoshi's favorite word; eat!"

"Oh, I see." Cid chuckled. "Take care."

Sora and Luigi followed Yoshi to the restaurant they ate at last time. At the restaurant, the trio got their food pretty quickly and were eating away. However, only one of them was not eating and his name was Sora. Sora had a salmon with lemon sauce on it but, he was playing around with it. He mashed at it with his fork and made a depressed look. Luigi stopped eating and took notice of this.

"Hey, kid." Luigi said. "Don't you know it's rude to play with your food? If you don't like it, give it to Mr. Garbage Disposal over here."

"Yeah, Yoshi eat it all up." Yoshi said licking his lips. He then thought about what Luigi said and growled at him. "Hey!"

"It's a complement!" Luigi responded with a snap. He then looked back to see the depressed look on his face. "Oh, I see. You're upset again, aren't you?"

Yoshi jumped out of his and walked over to Sora and put his arm around him.

"Does Sora remember what Luigi said?" Yoshi said softly. "Sora can't be sad and can't frown."

"I know but, I'm looking at you two and you think that this isn't a big deal." Sora said upset. "You seem so cheerful. Aren't you guys worried about Mario at all? We haven't found him yet you know."

"Us?" Luigi asked. "No way."

Sora scoffed. "Some brother you are."

"You know that's not what I meant!" Luigi snapped. "Of course I miss my brother and I worry but, I have faith in him. He's defeated tons of monsters while Yoshi was still an egg and when you were still in diapers kid. No one can beat him and plus it doesn't hurt to have a little faith. It doesn't seem to stick into your brain through."

"Sorry, it's just..."

"Mario told Luigi and Yoshi to find the key wielder, and in the end Luigi and Yoshi found Sora." Yoshi said trying to cheer Sora up. "As long as Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi stick together it going to be okay."

"He's right kid." Luigi agreed. "As they say in the Lion King; a Hakuna Matata."

"Sora need to believe in self." Yoshi said with a smile.

"Believe?" Sora whispered to himself. "Is that all I need to do?"

"Close your eyes and try to find that one thing that is close to your heart." Luigi instructed. "Then, you'll understand that the most important thing you need to do is have a belief in yourself. Without it, you'll never find the confidence within. And without confidence you'll never defeat the heartless."

"I'll give it a try." Sora nodded slowly.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the darkness of his eyelids. For a moment nothing happened but then, he heard a very familiar voice.

"_I believe in you." _called Kairi.

Sora felt as his soul has left his body and was being pulled through time and space. He was flying through an endless tunnel and at the end of it was light. He thought he could feel Kairi so he trusted where the light was taking him and it consumed him. Moments later, the light dimmed and he looked at his new area. He was in a strange library of some sort and it appeared with long windows sort of like a chapel. He noticed that the shelves were extremely high over his head, paretically skyscrapers to him.

"_Where am I?" _Sora thought.

The walls were colored green as continued to walk through the strange place. Although he's never seen it before it was somehow familiar to him. He then walked over to an area he saw a table with a lamp and stairs that curved going up. Sora also noticed an old woman sitting in a rocking chair. She had white hair which was in a bun, wore an apron and a blue shirt. He then saw a young girl with red hair, a white sleeveless shirt and a purple skirt running up to her.

"Grandma." the girl said with excitement. "I've done all my chores. Can you tell me the story now? I've been wanting to hear it for weeks."

The grandma laughed. "All right, child. Calm down! Now, I shall tell you a tale of light and darkness." The girl jumped into her lap and got close to her. "Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. It kept them safe from darkness and it brought good fortune. It was a happy time." She then made a glum look. "But then, people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. It broke out in wars and many people got hurt. This was a result because their hearts gave birth to darkness."

"Darkness?" the girl gasped with fear in her eyes. "Why would people do that?"

"Greed and power my young child." the grandma responded, brushing her granddaughter's hair. "The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared."

"Grandma!" The girl cried, hugging her grandmother with fear and tears. "I don't want to disappear."

"It's okay little one." the grandma whispered softly. "Not all was lost because a small fragments of light survived...in the hearts of children."

The child looked up at her grandma with reassurance in her eyes and smiled. "Children like me?"

"Of course." the grandma smiled. "With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other."

"Can I see the light?" the girl asked.

"Of course." the grandma replied. " You just need to look inside of your heart. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi?"

"Yes, grandma." Young Kairi nodded.

"Now, run along and play darling." Kairi's grandma said.

Young Kairi got up and started to run off. Sora saw her run towards him.

"Kairi!" He cried.

As she got close to him, he could see a bright flash before his eyes and could feel his soul returning to his body. He was again in darkness but, upon opening his eyes he could see Luigi and Yoshi looking at him funny. He the noticed that both of them have finished eating.

"Kid, when I said close your eyes I didn't mean fall asleep." Luigi groaned. "What the heck were you thinking?"

"Sorry." Sora said, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It's just...never mind. But I think I understood what you meant. I have to be strong and have faith."

"Good." Luigi smiled. "Now hurry up and eat before Yoshi decides to inhale your food."

"And Yoshi would too." Yoshi added with a giggled.

Sora quickly wolfed down his food and was done in two minutes. After paying the bill the trio headed back to the harbor where Cid was waiting for them.

"Hey, I said be here in an hour, not an hour and twenty minutes." Cid said upset. "What took you?"

"Somebody just had to catch forty winks before finishing his meal." Luigi said, giving Sora a dirty look.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Sora angrily said at Luigi.

"No, because the sand man came out of nowhere and did it." Luigi said sarcastically. "Really, what kind of person would sleep during a meal?"

Sora just smirked. "At least I don't sleep with Mr. Snoo..."

"Ahh! Don't finish that sentence!" Luigi panicked.

"Right, well anyways, I finished so your good to go." Cid said, trying to stay on topic. "Just be careful, those heartless are up to no good and it's gotten worse. They've partially doubled."

"Thanks for the send off, gramps." Sora said with sarcasm.

Cid waved his fist at Sora and shouted. "IT'S CID! DON'T YOU GIVE ANY SARCASM AT ME OR I'LL KICK YOUR BEHINDS HERE TO THE END OF THE WORLD!"

The trio gulped nervously and backed away.

"Well, uh, look at time." Yoshi chuckled nervously. "It time for Yoshi's afternoon nap."

"Yeah, we have to go." Sora chuckled nervously. "See ya!"

The trio quickly left leaving Cid behind who just sighed. "I'm getting too old for this."

Just then, Mr. Resetti popped out and turned to Cid.

"Hey, Cid." the mole called to Cid. "Come on! It's time for our anger management class!"

"What? Already?" Cid gasped. He then looked at his watch. "Oh, dang it!"

"Hey, you've improved." Resetti chuckled. "At least you don't say the bad version anymore."

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends boarded the Toad Express where Toadsworth was waiting for them.

"Greetings Master Sora, Master Luigi, and Yoshi." Toadsworth said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Sora nodded. "We may not know what's out there but, I'm strong enough for this journey! I'll be ready for anything!"

"That spirit!" Yoshi cheered.

"You tell like it is kid!" Luigi smiled.

Toadsworth chortled. "My, someone is in a good mood." He then turned to the cockpit. "Master Tails, we're ready."

"Roger!" Tails called from the cockpit.

Tails activated the engine and pressed a button causing a map of the worlds they visited to show up. On the screen he saw the current worlds they've visited and next to Station Square was an unknown world. Tails activated the warp drive and the Toad Express warped back to Station Square. Tails then activated the engines and moved forward.

Sora sat back in his seat and Yoshi jumped onto his lap and curled into a ball. Sora pet Yoshi's head and Yoshi fell asleep with a smile. Luigi looked at the two with a smile.

"_Whatever happened in that world has brought Sora and Yoshi closer together." _Luigi thought. _"Their friendship has grown and I'm happy for the both of them. And I hope nothing tears our friendship apart."_

The ship began to hit some rough areas on the way to the next world. This caused the Toad Express to shake a little bit.

"W-what's happening?"

"We're hitting some rough spots." Tails responded over the intercom. "Please remain seated until the plane comes to a complete stop. It will only be another five minutes before our next world so hang in there."

"I bet this next world will be intense." Sora assumed.

"Please, let's try to think positive." Luigi gulped.

"I was." Sora responded.

"I was hoping he wouldn't say that." Luigi said to himself.

About a few minutes later, the plane finally stopped and the group sighed with relief. Sora stood up and looked out the window. To his surprise there was nothing and he made a questioned look.

"Um, Tails?" Sora turned to the cockpit. "Are you sure there's a world here?"

"Affirmative." Tails responded. "It was so hard to find the right spot but, the warp pipe should drop you off there."

The trio began to make their way to the pipe when Toadsworth stopped them.

"Heed my warning." Toadsworth said with caution. "The name of this world is called Hallow Bastion. It appears that most of the heartless came from this place."

"Seriously?" Yoshi asked in shock.

"Awesome!" Sora cheered. "That mean that Kairi could be here." He then lowered his face with sorrow. "And if Kairi is there, then Riku must be there too."

"Sora, you've got to confront this kid." Luigi told Sora. "It's the only way to save him from the darkness."

"Yeah." Sora said with a very serious tone. "I'm going to. I've had it with what he's done."

"And Yoshi and Luigi help Sora." Yoshi nodded.

"Right." Sora smiled, giving Yoshi a thumbs.

Every time they disembarked to a world they would usually play around and smile. But the smiles have stopped this time. They knew that things were about to get harder and dangerous but they weren't afraid. Even Luigi had guts this time.

"Be careful you three." Toadsworth said with a worried look.

Sora bravely walked up to the pipe and took a deep breath. He then turned to his friends with his famous smile, thinking it's another day at the playground.

"Guys..." Sora began. "Let's go!"

The trio jumped down the pipe on the way to their next world.

World Name: Hallow Bastion

The trio arrived on the same small island that Riku was on. The same rising water that Riku saw earlier was all around them.

"Is that waterfall going up?" Luigi asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Aw, man." Sora said, observing the waterfall.. "My science teacher would never buy this."

"Yeah." Luigi agreed. "They say that what comes up must come down. But this is ridiculous!"

Yoshi pointed at something with fear. "Look!"

The two others turned to see a very dark and mysterious castle. The castle had glass windows like a church has and it was a bit red and orange. They could also see pipes warped around it with smoke coming out of it. In the middle was a giant heartless symbol. The trio also noticed the floating blue floating islands around the area. Sora look strangely at the place as if knew the place.

"_This place, I somehow know it." _Sora thought in surprise. _"This is impossible! I've never even been off my island."_

Luigi shook in fear as he looked at the castle. He could feel his heart beat rapidly and losing his breath. He slowly began to walk away but Sora noticed this.

"Uh-oh." gulped Luigi.

"Luigi, what are you doing?" Sora asked his cowardly friend. "Aren't we going in?"

"Kid, I have a phobia of going into dark and scary places." Luigi said, nervously putting his hand across his eyes.

"Luigi, you have a phobia of the guy on that cereal box." Sora pointed out in frustration.

"You lie!" Luigi shouted. "But seriously, after rescuing my brother from that haunted mansion, I had terrible nightmares about it."

"You told me that story but, there's one difference." Sora said. "We have your back here."

Sighing with relief, Luigi smiled. "You're right kid. As long as the three of us stick together, no one can beat us."

The trio began to walk forward when Sora stopped. He felt a warm feeling coming from his chest. It was nothing he had ever felt before.

"Guys." Sora said, stopping his friends. He then put his hand on his chest. "I feel a little warm right here."

"Hm, you must have heartburn." Luigi suggested. "Want me to run and get the Pepto?"

"No, I don't have heartburn." Sora disagreed.

"Aw, come on." Luigi said. "I have cherry."

"Luigi!" Sora snapped.

"Ooh, sorry." Luigi said quietly.

All of a sudden the trio heard someone shout a battle cry. Yoshi hugged Sora's leg and whimpered.

"Ooh, what that sound?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Sounds like a person." Luigi assumed. "Perhaps someone is fighting or in a lot of pain."

Sora could feel a strange force near by him. He recognized the feeling and knew what to expect.

"Riku." he whispered. He then turned to his group out loud. "Come on, guys! Let's rock and roll!"

The trio began to make their way up through the rising falls. They kept their eyes peeled for any heartless but to their relief, non showed up. On the way, Sora was able to find more Pikmin around and stored them away. As they reached the next floating island, they could see two figures standing at the top of a bigger island. This one had a small watering hole at edge of the north side from where the group stood. The first person they saw on the right was non other then Riku himself.

The one on the left was an anthropomorphic Kitsume fox. He wore a white vest with a matching green shirt and pants. He had a red turtle neck like thing around his neck, two white gloves that were similar to Sora's gloves, and had silver boots on. He also had a gun holster around his leg with a laser gun in it. In his hand, he held a staff with a pointed end. The fox was exhausted as sweat dropped down from his face and he held his staff with a tight grip. Riku however remained perfectly normal and calm.

"I don't get it." Riku said to the fox. "You didn't have any help from the heartless nor used a vessel. I heard you were an ace pilot. So tell me, how did you get here?"

Weakly standing up, the fox sighed and tried to speak. "I didn't need anything. I just needed to believe."

"Believe?" Riku scoffed. "What children's book have you been reading?"

"It's true!" the fox snapped. "When my world was destroyed by the darkness, they took everything from me. Especially, Krystal! Over this last year after making her a Starfox pilot I've developed a crush on her. Now, I've fallen in love with her and when I tried to pour my heart out, she was gone. I swore on my life I would not rest until I've found her. I followed her here and here I am. I know she's here! I can feel her from my nose to the tip of my tail. I'll fight with every breath in my body! I'd even go through a kid like you! So, hand her over, or else!"

"Or else what?" Riku smirked. "You're pathetic little stick is no match for me."

The fox was offended by the comment. "You brat! This was Krystal's staff! It's far more powerful then you know!"

"Then I dare you to take her back!" Riku challenged.

"Oh, I will!" the fox said, charging at Riku.

The fox attacked with his staff and Riku effortlessly blocked the attack with his sword. The fox rapidly slashed at Riku, who continued blocking the attack effortlessly.

"Is that all you got?" Riku smirked with confidence.

"I don't understand." the fox gasped in surprise. "I've had years of combat training, so how can a kid be beating me?"

"It's quality not quantity my friend." Riku explained. "Your going up against the darkness and here, the darkness is invincible."

The fox jumped back and fired his laser gun at Riku who deflected the attacks with his sword. Riku spun out of the way of another attack and hit one laser attack back at the fox. The beam knocked the staff out of the fox's hand. Riku gave a hard slash at the fox's right arm and he fell down and screamed in pain.

"Darn!" the fox cried.

"Now die!" Riku said, about to bring the Soul Eater down on the fox.

Just then, the keyblade knocked the Soul Eater out of Riku's hand and landed next to him. However, Riku remained unfazed by this action and walked over to pick up his sword. He then turned to see Sora running in front of the fox.

"Riku! Stop it!" Sora shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, hello, Sora." Riku said. "Glad you made it. Late again I see. Lazing off again?"

"Cut it out!" Sora snapped. "This is serious! Why are you doing this?"

"Heh, that's my question. " Riku responded. "Why are you doing this? Holding onto that keyblade. Don't you know it has changed you?"

"Me?" Sora asked, shocked. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the one that's changed. You'd never hurt anyone but, now you just hurt that fox."

"I guess it's true then." Riku said with a little smile. "Not only have we've been best friends but, we've been the best of rivals. We've pushed each other past our limits and in the end became stronger. Always competing, always fighting."

"But..." Sora began.

"But it ends here." Riku said, cutting Sora off. "There is no in between. The path cannot be taken by two keyblade masters."

"What do you mean by two?" Luigi asked suspiciously.

"That will be answered right now." Riku responded. "Now it's time for the keyblade to choose...me or you!"

Riku stuck his hand out in a position like he was waiting to grab something. Sora gasped as his keyblade appeared before him and began to pull away from him. He held on as tightly as he could, but the force was far too strong and it disappeared from him and reappeared in Riku's hand which shocked everyone to the core.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"It can't be!"

Riku gazed with aw at his new weapon. "Bowser, he was right! I truly am the one!" He then looked at Sora. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. You never did. Only the true keyblade master can open the secret door and change the world."

"This...this isn't right!" a completely stunned Sora shouted. "It choose me!"

"Wrong, Sora!" Riku disagreed. "I was the true master but however, when I was absorbed by the darkness back home, it couldn't except me just yet. So it needed a substitute until it was reunited with its true master."

"So I fought my way here with that keyblade for nothing?" Sora said with extreme anger.

"You were just the delivery boy." smirked Riku. "A task that took you more then thirty minutes to deliver."

"And every one thought I told horrible jokes." Luigi said to himself.

"So, I thank you for personally for giving it to me, errand boy." Riku said. "Your part is over now. If you still want to play hero, use this."

Riku then threw his toy wooden sword which landed right at Sora's feet. Sora just couldn't believe it. He lost the keyblade to Riku after all of the battles he has fought with it. All the times he risked his life with it. Sora was so angry and so annoyed he just didn't know what to do. He then realized a horror even worse then losing his keyblade. Something which was about to happen. Sora got on his hands and knees and slammed his fist into the ground.

"NOOOOO!" Sora screamed in rage.

Yoshi ran over to Sora and put his arms around the ex-keyblade master.

"It okay, Sora." Yoshi said with reassurance in his voice. "We find other way to stop heartless."

Luigi sadly looked down at Sora, understanding the real reason why he became even more upset. Luigi sighed sadly and approached Yoshi and put his hand on the dinosaur's shoulder.

"Yoshi." Luigi said softly. "There's something I need to tell you." The dinosaur turned to him with guilt in his eyes from Sora's lost. "We still need to remember our mission."

"To find Mario?" Yoshi asked.

"Yeah, but there's more." Luigi said sadly. "He said that we need to follow the one who wields the keyblade." He then gestured to Riku. "I'm sorry but..."

Yoshi understood. He was about to leave Sora forever and he didn't want to. Tears streamed down his face as he understood what was going to happen.

"No!" Yoshi cried. "It can't be! Yoshi understand that Luigi and Yoshi need to follow the key but, Yoshi don't want to leave Sora." He then started crying. "Yoshi no leave! Yoshi no leave!"

Luigi was shocked by the concept. "You'd choose him over Mario? How dare you do that! We've fed you, taken care of you, and this is the thanks we get? All yoshis are loyal but, apparently your not."

"I sorry but, Yoshi and Sora become best friends." Yoshi responded. "Yoshi miss Mario but, Sora kept Yoshi happy. Yoshi no leave Sora because..."

"Enough!" Luigi snapped. "Kid, we're going whether you like it or not!"

"But...but..."

"Listen, I can't do anything about it." Luigi sighed. "If we don't go, we might all be in grave danger. "

Finally complying, Yoshi put his head down and sighed. "Sorry, Luigi."

"It's okay kid." Luigi responded, petting Yoshi's head. "You just got shocked by this event, that's all. That's why you sort of went against Mario for a little bit. Come on, let's go."

Yoshi sadly followed Riku without saying one word. He didn't even turn around to say good-bye to Sora. Luigi began to walk away but he turned back to Sora. The spiked haired boy looked up at Luigi with tears streaming down from his blue eyes.

"Please!" Sora begged. "Just let me be!"

"Are you sure you don't need any..."

"I SAID GO!" Sora shouted

Luigi put his hands in his pocket and turned away. He looked over his shoulder to look at Sora one last time.

"Sora, I'm sorry." Luigi said, taking pity on the boy.

Luigi left in silence, leaving Sora and the injured fox behind. Sora was angry with himself for being such a fool. He thought that his adventure to other worlds would be so much fun, but in the end, it ended in sorrow and pain. He has lost everything. He can never go home, he lost the keyblade, his three friends Riku, Luigi, and Yoshi. And most importantly Kairi. His world came tumbling down on him and he didn't know if he could go on.

He then heard someone whistling a song. Looking up and drying his tears, Sora noticed a man walking by. His hat was one of those hats you'd see on a bellhop, a blue button down jacket, orange pants that went down to the bottom of the lower legs, and sandals. He was also carrying a giant green backpack. The man took notice of Sora and jumped onto the islands until he reached the island he was on.

"Good day, young man." the man said with a British accent. "Looks like you could use a tissue."

"Yeah." Sora sniffled standing up.

"Well, that will be ten gold coins." the man said.

"What?" exclaimed Sora. "Ten gold coins for one..."

"I'm kidding." the man laughed, handing Sora a tissue. "Allow me to introduce 'me' self. I'm O'aka the XXIII. I travel to many worlds to sell you things that are a bargain."

"And I'm Sora." Sora said. He then sat down at the edge of the island still extremely depressed.

"Something troubling you, Sora?" O'aka said, sitting down. "You don't seem very thrilled." Sora sadly explained his story to O'aka. "Oh, so I see. Funny, I was once in your shoes. Not literally of course, me feet would be too small in there."

"Hey!" Sora cried offended.

O'aka laughed. "Only kidding. But when I first started out as a salesman not a lot of people would buy from me. Sometimes I would think to me self that I was a failure. But, I found away to go around the problem by coming up with an up to date service and making prices at a bargain. Now I make tons of sales with my plans. Finding a way to go around your problems and never quitting made a difference."

Sora understood what O'aka meant. He thought that he was a failure because he didn't have the keyblade. But in reality, he figured that if he could find another way to rescue Kairi without the keyblade it would make all the difference. He then could hear a voice in his head. It was a younger version of Kairi.

"_Sora?" _the little voice said. _"Will you promise to protect me?" _

"_I promise." _Young Sora said in big Sora's head.

Clenching his fist tightly, he stood up and cried. "I promised and I won't break it!"

O'aka jumped back and laughed. "That's the spirit lad! I knew you could find the strength within!"

"You're right!" Sora said, back to his old self again. "Even if the odds are against me I can still make a difference! I'll save you all! Riku, Luigi, Yoshi, and Kairi!"

"I'm glad to see ye are feeling better." O'aka smiled. "Sometimes it would cost you twenty gold coins for a sword. Thirty coins for an elixir. But for warming advice, priceless."

"Yeah." Sora nodded. "Really, thanks for the help, O'aka. If you didn't show me the light, I don't know what I would have done."

"Happy to be of service, Sora." O'aka said. "Now then, can I offer anything fore your friend? He looks a bit weak."

Sora turned to notice the fox was still on the ground from his earlier scuffle with Riku.

"Oh, no!" Sora exclaimed. "I guess I was so busy moping I forgot all about him." He then turned to O'aka. "Hey, do you have a potion?"

"For you I'll charge you one gold coin." O'aka said with a nod. Sora went through his pocket and pulled out one of two gold coins he had left. He handed it to O'aka who handed him the potion. "Nice doing business with you Sora. Well, time for me to hit the open road. Take care of ye self."

Sora said good-bye as the traveling salesman left. He quickly ran over to the fox and lifting his jaw, helped him swallow the potion. The fox weakly groaned and tried to get up quickly but, Sora helped the fox put all his weight on hin.

"Take it easy." Sora said. "You're really hurt."

"No." the fox said weakly. "I'm fine really." He then turned to look at Sora. "Why are you here? This isn't a playground kid."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked offend. "I just helped you and this is the thanks I get?"

"Right, sorry." the fox groaned standing up. He then slowly walked forward. "I'm here because those creeps have Krystal and I will fight for her."

"Special to you huh?" Sora figured.

"Yeah." the fox said. "I'm Fox McCloud, leader of a group of space pilots known as Starfox. A year ago there was a distress signal from the planet Sauria that needed to be answered. So, I was the one who answered it. After fighting through this world with this staff I got, I returned it to the most beautiful creature in the world. Of course I didn't have those strong feeling for her at the time but..." He then noticed Sora tapping his foot like Sonic the Hedgehog. "Um, sorry, couldn't stop ranting. I may not have Slippy, Falcon, or Peppy to help me but, I still have my inner strength and even if I'm on my own, I will keep fighting for her. I won't leave this place until she is safely with me."

Fox's speech helped gain Sora even more confidence knowing that he shouldn't quit. Picking up the wooden sword Riku left him, he walked over to Fox.

"Me too." Sora said. "I won't give up either. I'm here looking for someone very important to me. I may not have Yoshi or Luigi, and the keyblade but, I still have my heart."

"I overheard you dilemma...Sora, right?" Fox asked. Sora nodded to him. "You must be the kind of guy that never gives up. Looks like you and me have a lot in common kid." Fox then extend his hand. "I Fox McCloud am here by proud to make you Sora a junior member of the Starfox team for having such courage."

Sora shook his hand excitedly. "Cool! Even thought I don't know what that is, that's still pretty cool. I'm just glad I'm not in this alone."

"Yeah, it looks like you need help." Fox said. "Come, let us go then. My fighting skills will help greatly."

"Thanks, Fox." Sora smiled with hope.

The two left together knowing that they had each others backs. Sora and Fox continued to climb up the rising falls until they reached the highest part. There Sora noticed a switch and pressed it, causing a round, circular platform to appear. The two boarded the platform and at an incredibly fast speed arrived at the main entrance to Hallow Bastion. The two noticed miniature versions of the platform they were just on floating around the area. Sora also noticed a giant door in the middle of the area. Too excited to think, Sora ran straight for the door. He didn't realize that a shadow was about to pounce him.

"Kid, look out!" Fox cried.

Sora turned just to get wacked in the face by the heartless. Quickly getting to his feet, Sora used his sword to attack the creature but did almost no damage.

"Man, I wish I had the keyblade." Sora sighed in disappointment.

Fox twirled his staff around and knocked the shadow away. Three more then tried to attack but, he spun his staff around knocking them all back. Five more surrounded him and Fox rammed his staff into the ground causing an earthquake. He then helped Sora back up who feel back from the strike.

"You okay?" a concerned Fox asked.

"Yeah." Sora groaned. "You're really strong, Fox. If you weren't here I'd probably be heartless food."

"Aw, stop it, I'm touched." Fox said jokingly. He then noticed a door. "That door has to lead us inside. Come on!"

"I have a feeling that this is all too easy." Sora pondered to himself.

The two arrived at the door with no sign of heartless. Fox looked up at the giant door with a determined look.

"Krystal has to be in here." Fox said. "There's no other way." He began pushing on the door but, sadly had no luck on opening the door. "Stupid door! I knew there was going to be some catch here!"

"What did you expect?" Sora asked sarcastically. "Yeah, they'll open the door and welcome us with open arms and then they'll invite us in for cake and coffee."

"You didn't need to get that sarcastic on me." Fox groaned.

"Sorry." Sora apologized. "Try being on a plane with a sarcastic plumber." He then crossed his arms and looked back up. "Riku knows we're coming and I bet he has a plan set up."

"But it's a risk I'm willing to take." Fox cried with bravery in his eyes. He then pressed a button on a watch he had and a screen showed up. It then showed a entire map of Hallow Bastion.

"Whoa!" Sora gasped in surprise. "Cool!"

"Greeting, Fox." a robotic voice said. "Need my assistance?"

"Yeah, Rob." Fox responded. "Thank goodness your memory was backed up to this watch. Anyways, I need you to find the lock combination and unlock this door."

"I will comply." Rob responded. A yellow light began scanning the door for a few seconds and then it stopped. "This for has a very strange decoding, the door cannot be unlocked."

"Shoot!"

"However, I was able to detect the device that can unlock the door." Rob said. A map then showed up showing the entire castle. A yellow section was highlighted at the basement area. "It is located in the basement area."

"Right, thanks, Rob." Fox said, powering down his watch. "We have to take a bit of a detour. There is a way to unlock this door. We need to head to the basement."

Sora nodded and the two left for the basement. As they past through a short metal gate more heartless ambushed them. Two heartless attacked Sora but, he dodged the attack and Fox came in with a laser gun and knocked them aside. He then grabbed his staff and shot a fire like magic spell at them, obliterating them into pieces. The duo made there way down by using another strange platform. They then arrived at another rising falls. Giant dark ball heartless attacked them as they arrived. Fox grabbed two of them and placed it edge on top of their heads. A third tried to attack but he kicked the staff, knocking the third one away.

Fox then jumped over one and slammed it to the ground. Sora still had his magic which he fired at the heartless, destroying them instantly. Fox spun his staff around knocking all of the heartless away. He then noticed a giant floating bubble. Using his watch, he scanned it to find out it was a way into the basement. Fox gestured Sora to move and he followed Fox into the bubble which slowly floated under the water and resurfaced in the castle. Sora and Fox both jumped out and looked around. The room had grey and black checkers on the floor and the walls were gray as well. Sora noticed the use of candles around the room to light the way.

"That was odd." Sora said with a confused look.

The two continued their way through the castle until they reached a dead end. Fox scanned the walls until he discovered that one of the walls was made with a weaker substance. Powering up his staff, he fired a fire spell at it first, burning the hole.

"Kid, do you have an ice spell?" Fox asked Sora.

"Yeah." Sora nodded.

"Use it on that hole."

Sora fired his Blizzard spell at it cooling the spot down. Fox fired his fire again while Sora did an ice spell. The two continued doing this until a hole finally appeared before them. The duo jumped through the hole reaching the other side. They continued to make a run through the hallway as fast as they could.

"How much closer?" Sora panted.

"Rob!" Fox called to his watch. "Are we there yet?"

"According to my calculation you need to go west down this next hallway." Rob explained. "A bubble should take you to the location."

"Okay, thanks, Rob." Fox nodded.

Sora and Fox took a left down the hallway and saw another bubble. They jumped in it and got transported to another room. The two looked above to see a ledge. Using another platform the two arrived up and saw a lever.

"Is that it?" Sora asked.

Fox scanned the lever and nodded. "Yep, we found it."

"Good." Sora smiled. "Now, let's unlock this door."

Before they could move, a heartless appeared before them. This one was big, blue and held a giant shield with a face on it. The two glanced at each other and nodded, knowing they had work to do. Sora attacked the shield but it knocked him back. Fox threw his staff at the shield which hit blue edge part. He then jumped on the staff and jumped over the heartless and kicked it.

"You got to attack his back." Fox instructed.

Sora tried again and jumped over the defender and slashed the back. Sadly, he remembered that his sword did little damage. The armor then knocked him back into Fox. Fox got up and was ready to attack but the defender quickly punched him back down and fired an energy ball at him. Sora quickly cast his updated aero spell which deflected the attack and knocked the shield. Fox then put the bottom of his staff on the ground and defying gravity put his body side ways on it and rapidly rotated around it and kicked the armor.

"Yeah!" Sora cheered.

Fox jumped off and let Sora jump onto his arms and jumped off. Fox threw his staff to Sora who brought it up all the way to his head and brought it down with a hard strike, cutting the heartless in half. Sora handed the staff to Fox who was impressed.

"You've got great talent." Fox said. "I bet you'd be really good if you had that keyblade."

Sora blushed at the comment. "Thanks."

Fox walked over and pulled the lever up. Above the lever was machinery that began turning and screeching. Fox looked at his watch and called up Rob.

"Rob, this was it, right?"

"Confirmed." Rob said. "This has unlocked the door."

"Then let's go!" Sora said impatiently.

"Right!"

Fox and Sora made their way back towards the entrance as fast as they could. More heartless appeared as they ran back. Fox slashed through a swarm with his staff as Sora used magic spells. The two finally arrived back at the water fall and avoided the heartless as fast as they could. They quickly got onto the floating platform and arrived back at the top. The two quickly ran to the door while knocking heartless aside. Fox used an earthquake to knock a majority of them away while Sora used his updated gravity spell to knock them down.

The two finally arrived at the big door and pushed it open. As it slowly crept open, Sora took a deep breath and clenched his fist. He was ready to face the biggest challenge as he was about to enter the heart of Hallow Bastion. Although he was a bit nervous, he was comfortable to know Fox had his back. The two nodded to each other and entered the room, knowing their loved ones were in there and were praying for their rescue.

**To Be Continued...**


	27. A Hassle in the Castle Part II

**Chapter XXVI: A Hassle in the Castle Part II**

Meanwhile, at the top of the castle, Bowser walked up to a giant door with a heartless symbol. He smirked with evil in his eyes as he opened the door and walked in it. The room looked like a church type of room without the chairs and had a long red carpet going down the middle of it. The room was lit up by lanterns all around the hall as the Koopa King slowly walked down it. To his left, he could see three girls inside a glass container which looked like a pod of some sort. The three girls in the pods were non other then Dixie, Princesses Peach, and Princesses Zelda.

He then looked to the other side to see three more girls in another pod. One of them was Samus without her helmet on. She had a beautiful face with blonde hair in a ponytail. The next girl that was probably the youngest of the six girls. She was a bear cub who wore a red shirt with a yellow star on it, purple sweat pants, no shoes, and blonde hair with pigtails. The third one was an adult purple fox who had blue hair and wore only a loin cloth and bra.

In the middle of the room was Kairi in a levitated state. Her body remained lifeless and pale as a ghost. She was surrounded by a pink shield which was shaped like a pill. Bowser bent over to her and breathed on her face softly.

"Soon babe." Bowser whispered. "You'll be my gateway to total annihilation." He then took out his Star Rod. "The time has come. Kammy Koop!"

"Yes, you're evilness?" the witch called as she entered the room.

"Use your spell book and find the words I need to say so this door will open." Bowser instructed.

"As you command." Kammy Koop complied.

While she looked for the spell book, Jr ran into the room and panted all the way up to his father.

"Pappa! Pappa!" Jr cried. "There are..."

"Quite, Jr." Bowser replied. "Can't you see daddy's working doing evil and rotten things?"

"But..."

"Jr!" Bowser said, rasing his voice. "You wait patiently." Jr was about to speak but, Bowser put his finger on his mouth. "Now, tell me what's the matter."

"There are intruders in the castle!" Jr cried.

"INTRUDERS!" Kammy Koop cried. "I better inform the keyblade master."

"You know Jr, things like that should be told right away." Bowser explained.

Jr rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, pappa."

Kammy Koop came back with a sigh. "Okay, now that we've got that situation taken care of, let's continue." She then began reading from the book until she found the spell. "Aha! Here it is!" She then handed the book to Bowser. "Okay sire. Read this entry and the spell shall be released."

"Right." Bowser said. Unfortunately, due to having the I.Q. of a walnut he couldn't even read the words right. "Uh...O...h...oh...ma...di...moddies...of..."

"Sir, do you want me to read it to you and then you repeat it?" Kammy Koop asked with a sigh. "After all, you did only past the first grade when you were sent to Evil Villain's night school."

"Whatever." Bowser sighed, handing the book to Kammy Koop.

"Now, repeat after me." Kammy Koop said, clearing her throat. "O those of the purest heart."

Bowser then took his Star Rod out and held it up high. "O those of the purest heart."

"Reveal to me the keyhole of darkness!" she finished.

"Reveal to me the keyhole of darkness!" Bowser shouted.

The six princesses in their chambers began glowing and six small lasers came out of their chests and all struck at a giant heart with a gold pipe outline and waves of multicolor on the inside with dark waves sticking out. Bowser laughed manically as the process finished.

Back downstairs, Sora and Fox have just entered the entrance hall of Hallow Bastion. Sora had never seen such a big room before as he noticed a small water fall in the middle of the room, a chandelier on the ceiling, and pillars that held up the first and second floors of the building. As they walked in more, he could also see two stairs that went up each side and met at the end. He also saw another brown door on the left.

Below his feet was a mixture of green and blue color on the floor. He bravely walked forward and looked around the room.

"I don't see anything." Sora said.

"Hey, if I were you, I wouldn't let my guard down for a minute." Fox pointed out. "Can you feel them? They're close. It's like I can feel them breathing down my neck."

"Yeah, I can feel it too." Sora agreed. "But that's not stopping me."

"Don't worry, I've got your back." Fox said. "Let's get going."

Sora began to walk away and Fox followed when a female voice stopped him.

"Fox." called a soft female voice, with sort of a British accent.

Fox froze upon hearing the voice. He began to feel a lot of high hopes and excitement and turned around quickly.

"Krystal?" Fox said, turning quickly. He then looked to see the purple fox from before standing at the door way. Fox could feel his heart rate go up and breathing getting heavier. "I-is that really you?" As he slowly walked towards her, she transformed into a shadow heartless which got the fox ticked off. "Grr! You've got my hopes and then you trick me! You'll pay with your own life!"

Fox took out his staff and charged at the heartless screaming with anger. Sora turned around upon hearing Fox scream and jump at the heartless.

"Wait, it's a trap!" Sora called, trying to stop Fox. But it was too late, he ran passed the door and it closed on him. Sora just rolled his eyes and sighed. "So much for keeping your guard up."

He then heard a familiar voice. "You never seem to give up, do you?"

Sora turned to see Riku standing in front of him.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told there was an intruder and just as I suspected it was you." Riku responded. "There's no point in continuing this. Just surrender!"

"Forget it!" Sora shouted. "I'm not leaving here without Kairi!"

"What?" Riku gasped. "You just keep going and going. You've lost everything. The keyblade, a home, and your friends." As if expected, Luigi and Yoshi sadly walked next to the current keyblade master. "As you can see, you've lost, it's all over, you're nothing but a loser now. Without the keyblade..." All of a sudden Sora began laughing manically at Riku. "W-what are you laughing about?"

"The kid's finally cracked." Luigi sighed.

Sora then stopped laughing and smirked to his rival. "I'm laughing because I realize now that you're the loser."

"Me?" Riku asked in surprise.

"I may not have my friends, I may not have the keyblade, but I still have my heart." Sora explained. "It's true that the keyblade master can change the world but, what kind of keyblade master would use that power for evil?" He then turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "I know you guys are suppose to follow the key, but would you follow a good keyblade master or a bad one? Doesn't Mario want to bring happiness and peace to all worlds?"

"Of course he does." Luigi agreed.

"Then why are you with this guy?" Sora asked. "As far as I'm concerned, the keyblade made a pretty bad chose when choosing its master."

"ENOUGH!" Riku shouted. "I've had it with you, Sora! It's time to do what I should have done a long time ago!"

Riku's body then got engulfed in a wave of darkness and he transformed. His normal clothing transformed into dark clothing with red and blue all over it. On his chest was the heartless symbol and he wore a white type of dress looking thing that was supported by a belt. And he had on dark boots.

"Listen, please, we may not be with him anymore but he's still our friend." Luigi pleaded.

Ignoring Luigi, Riku smirked at Sora. "I'll give you one more chance to surrender. The darkness will destroy you if that is your desire."

"You're wrong!" Sora cried with full bravery. He was ready for anything that was going to be thrown at him. He'd do it for all of his friends. "The darkness may touch my body, but it will never touch my heart. As long as my heart stays with my friends it can never die."

"Then let's find out shall we?" Riku said, firing a dark energy wave from his hand.

Sora tried to run, but somehow he felt like his entire body became paralyzed. He watched as the beam was closing in on him. He felt his life flashing before his eyes, from his child days on the island to battling the heartless with Luigi and Yoshi. The beam got closer and closer and Sora was too scared to even look. He wish that he could tell Kairi how sorry he was. Then, from out of nowhere a familiar egg with green dots knocked the beam off its course and sent it into a wall.

Luigi gasped in shock. "What the heck?"

"What is this, some sort of trick?" Riku asked. "No one can stop that attack!"

Sora opened his eyes to see he was okay. He looked around to see how he was able to escape the attack. He finally looked down for the answer to that question. Standing in front of Sora with his arms out on both sides was a familiar green dinosaur. He was protecting Sora.

"Y-yoshi?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Stay away from Sora, big bully!" Yoshi growled at the silver haired boy. "Sora go nowhere as long as Yoshi stay with him and protect him."

Riku just scoffed. "So, you're betraying Mario and your ancestors for him? He's not even a waste of your time."

"Riku wrong!" Yoshi growled. "Yoshi never betray Mario in a million, million years." With a smile he turned to Sora and took his hands. "But...Yoshi never betray Sora either because Sora and Yoshi best friends forever, remember?"

"I...I remember." Sora said softly.

Yoshi then turned to Luigi. "Sorry, Luigi. But Yoshi made up mind. Bye-bye! Will Luigi get on hands and knees and tell Mario that Yoshi sorry?"

"I won't need to do it for you!" Luigi responded. "We'll do it together!"

Luigi ran over to Sora's side and looked up at him. Riku was left speechless by this turn of events.

"Luigi?"

"Hey, you're right kid." Luigi smiled. "It's not the weapon, it's the person inside that counts. And at this moment there's no person I'd rather be with than you. Don't you remember the vow we made when we first met? All for one and one for all? We got to stick by it. We're in this together until the end of time. So, no matter where you go, the two of us are going to follow you. "

Sora felt happy knowing that no matter if he had the keyblade or not that Luigi and Yoshi would be his friends forever. He could feel his sorrow lifting and the joy and cheer he once had for so long now return to him. He put his head down trying to hide his emotions but, Yoshi jumped up and licked his face.

"Sorry, Sora." Yoshi giggled. "Sora stuck with Luigi and Yoshi for the rest of time."

Whispering, Sora responded with a faint smile. "Thanks a lot...Luigi, Yoshi."

The two smiled at their friend telling him that everything was okay. The boy looked up at his friends and gave off his famous goofy smile, indicating that he was okay. Riku was getting annoyed and finally ended their reunion.

"It doesn't matter!" Riku called out. The trio then turned to him. "Your odds are still too great. Those two fools won't make any difference. Besides, how can you even beat me without a weapon?"

"Riku, I don't even need the keyblade anymore." Sora responded. "I have a weapon far stronger then it. My heart!"

There was silence in the room for a few seconds when Riku broke into laughter and fell on the floor.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Riku laughed. "You're kidding me, right? Your heart! What are you going to do, take it out and throw it at me? Man, you are a riot sometimes!"

"Riku!" Sora snapped at him angrily. "I'm not joking!"

Riku stood up to catch his breath from the laughter. "I know. It just sounded so funny. What could a weak little thing like that do for you?"

"It may be weak, but it's never alone." Sora responded. "Every challenge I've met it has become stronger than before, growing with each new experience. It's also found a home with all the friends I've made. Our friendship has made it much stronger, and I've become a part of their heart as they've become a part of mine. As long as we stick together and if they think of me and never forget me...then our hearts will be one. It's my friends that give me strength, the drive to fight." Taking out his wooden sword, he got ready to fight. "This might be tipped in your favor but, we're willing to try as we stick together. I don't need a weapon, my friends are my power!"

Riku took out his keyblade ready to fight with a smirk when something was wrong. He could feel a force of gravity pull the keyblade away from him. He tried to pull it back but the force was too strong. The keyblade then disappeared from him

"What?" Riku gasped in surprise. "What's going on?"

Luigi's eyes widened as he saw Sora bright up. Looking at his friend's hand, Luigi could see the keyblade reappearing in Sora's hand.

"Kid!" Luigi exclaimed. "The keyblade is in your hand again!"

"You're right!" Sora gasped. He then looked at it with surprise.

"But how?" Riku asked in shock. "What did you do, Sora? That's impossible!"

"He didn't do anything." Luigi said. "Maybe he pressed a secret button or something."

"No." Sora said. "I think I know why." He then turned to Riku. "It's because the keyblade rejected you." Riku remained in complete shock. "You dove into the darkness and you were fighting for all the wrong reasons. You didn't show any sign of goodness in your heart and when I showed my inner light and goodness, it returned to me."

"Oh, yeah!" Luigi cheered. "In your face sissy boy!"

Riku couldn't believe his eyes, he had it, it was right in his hands. Everything was going exactly as planned. How could have he lost it? Why Sora? He was always better then him. He became so filled with rage and anger that he whipped out his Soul Eater and swat it hard, creating a giant wind that pushed the trio back. The group pushed against the wind and were able to make their way back.

"That's it!" Riku shouted. "If I can't have the keyblade then nobody can have it!" He then smirked at Sora. "I can still beat you! I've defeated three people at once before and this is no difference."

"Wrong again, Riku!" Sora disagreed. "There's two misconceptions you made. This isn't a game, this a battle of fate and the three of us together are the ultimate dream team. I'm going to finally beat you and with their help."

"Bring it then!" Riku said, getting ready.

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi got ready to fight as Riku got into position with his sword. The wind blew through the room softly as they had a stare off. The four began to sweat nervously as they stared their opponent down or for Riku's case opponents. Finally, lifting one leg up and down Sora charged at Riku first, followed by Luigi, and Yoshi. Riku ran at them screaming at the top of his lungs. Sora and Riku clashed their weapons together causing an ear shattering sonic boom. Sora gave a hard thrust at Riku who spun out of the way and tried to swipe Sora's back but, Yoshi stuck his tongue out and knocked the attack back.

Luigi shot a fire spell at Riku, but he easily dodged the attack and quickly spun behind Luigi and slashed him down. Sora jumped in and clashed with Riku again. Riku swiped at Sora who jumped over the attack and tried to swipe Riku, but he knocked the attack back with his sword. Sora brought his keyblade down on Riku who clashed with him again. Riku and Sora both rapidly slashed at each other clashing their swords. Eventually, Sora hit a wall and Riku tried to thrust but Sora spun out of the way and kicked him aside. Riku got back up and spun at Sora with incredible speed. He then smacked Sora in the face and sent him crashing into the water fountain.

Sora charged at Riku again with Luigi and Yoshi behind him. Sora attacked again and Riku did a back flip over the attack. Riku then kicked both Luigi and Yoshi into a wall. Riku quickly spun around to clash with Sora again who then jumped over Riku and kicked Riku in the back. Riku quickly used his hands to push back up and uppercut Sora. The yellow shoed hero flew into the ceiling and kicked off against it and charged with his keyblade tightly gripped with both hands

Riku jumped out of the way as Sora brought his keyblade down on Riku and it missed him. Riku swiped at Sora who quickly moved left to dodge the attack. Riku swiped at Sora who blocked with his keyblade at a forty-five degree angle and then the other side. Sora kept blocking Riku's attacks and clashing with him. Sora the clashed together with Riku's sword and pushed Riku back.

"Give it up, Riku!" Sora said.

"Never!" Riku shouted.

Sora then used his weight to push his rival back into Luigi who used Luigi Tornado to knock the silver haired boy into the air. Yoshi then jumped high into the air and did a flip and pointed his bottom at Riku. Yoshi then did a pound ground on Riku and they crashed into the ground causing pieces of ruble and dust to fly out. Sora and Luigi shielded their eyes from the dust and particles. When it was finally calm, the two walked over to see if Yoshi was okay. They then saw Yoshi flying right at them and knocking them over.

Riku got back up and was getting very annoyed. He grabbed Sora and threw him at a wall. Sora quickly grabbed the support that was holding the first floor and second floor and spun around it. He then launched himself back at Riku and kicked him back. Riku slid across the floor and quickly jumped back up. The four of them were panting as they began to get exhausted from the fighting.

"Wow! You've gotten better." Sora said, impressed. "You've learned a few new tricks. But, I've learned some too."

"Then in round two you show me them." Riku suggested.

"Bring it on!" Yoshi said with a tough guy look.

The three charged at Riku again who ran at them with full speed. He spun his body at them with his sword, but they quickly dodged it and all three of them kicked him at once. To recover their strength, Sora called Tails in who used his healing device to give the trio more power. Finally, they had the advantage as they worked at a team to defeat Riku. Luigi used F.L.U.D.D to spray the floor which caused Riku to slip and fall. Yoshi then grabbed Riku by the lower leg with his tongue and threw him into the air. Sora ran up a wall as fast as he could and then jumped off it and charged at Riku with a flying kick going down.

"THIS ONE'S FOR KAIRI!" Sora cried.

Sora kicked Riku in the chest and the two of them went crashing into the ground, once again causing ruble and dust to go flying. Luigi and Yoshi ran over to the spot and saw Sora weakly walking back. They both helped keep the keyblade master steady and ready. Riku was on his hands and knees, sweating very fast and breathing very hardly. He could see the sweat drop down from his hair and looked up to see Sora's group approaching him.

"No." He whispered. "I...can't...lose...to him. I won't lose to him. He can never beat me."

Riku got back up and brought his sword horizontally, ready to strike Sora but, the spiky haired hero knocked the sword out of Riku's hand.

"Riku, you lose." Sora smirked.

"Sora, you wouldn't hurt me would you?" Riku asked innocently. "I'm your best friend."

"Hey, it's like you said." Sora snickered. "Never let your guard down until your opponent is beaten."

Sora firmly gripped the handle of the keyblade and with a hard swing, knocked a weaken Riku into the water fall. He was so exhausted that he lost the dark clothing he had and was truly defeated. He weakly got up and with his last bit of energy he retreated. Sora sighed with relief and smiled.

"We did it!" Luigi cheered.

"Sora, Yoshi, and Luigi rock!" Yoshi also cheered.

"We rule!" Luigi said, giving Yoshi a high five.

"Riku drool!" Yoshi giggled.

"You forgot the s." Luigi pointed out. "It's drools."

"Same difference." Yoshi giggled. Luigi just rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, guys." Sora said wholeheartedly. "I'm glad you two stuck by my side no matter what."

"Hey, the three of us go together like spaghetti and meatballs." Luigi said proudly. "Yoshi is the spaghetti, you're the meatball, and I'm the sauce, the most fantastico part of the meal." He then noticed Sora giving him a disappointed look. "Hey, can't you take a joke?"

"How can I even take it if it wasn't even close to a joke?" Sora chuckled.

Sora then heard a familiar whimpering and turned to see Yoshi looking up at him with guilty eyes. The boy picked up the dinosaur and hugged him.

"Yoshi miss Sora so much." Yoshi said with tears streaming down his face. "I sorry for leaving."

"Hey, I owe you a lot." Sora said, comforting the dinosaur. "You saved my life today. I'm proud of you little buddy." He then pulled Yoshi away from him. "Don't feel bad about leaving me from before. You had to do what you had to do."

Yoshi then licked Sora's face causing him to chuckle.

"Um, I'm sorry I called you unfaithful before." Luigi apologized to Yoshi. "Can you ever forgive me kid?" Yoshi then jumped off of Sora's arms and licked Luigi's face. "Stop it! Dinosaur germs! I can't stand it!"

Sora laughed as he watched Luigi get slobbered by Yoshi. He then turned to see Fox walk back in.

"Fox!" cried Sora. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Fox said, greeting the trio. "Got sidetracked a little bit, but as I opened this door I saw the most epic fight ever. You truly are the keyblade master."

"The kid couldn't have done it without Mr. Muscle over here." Luigi said, trying to draw attention.

"Then the next time we fight Riku, you can fight him yourself." Sora joked.

Yoshi then called out, "Riku! Luigi wants to-"

Luigi quickly covered Yoshi's mouth, trying to stop him from finishing that sentence.

"Sora." Fox said. "The real winner of this fight was your heart, wasn't it?"

Sora nodded and smiled. He then made a serious look as well as the others. They knew that they were far from finished and had a long way to go. After Sora explained his story to Luigi and Yoshi, the trio along with Fox made their way towards the next part of the building. They walked up the stairs to go after Riku, but sadly the door was chained up and they couldn't get in.

"Um, how did he chain up the door so fast?" Luigi asked.

The group then turned to see another door right near by them.

"This way!" Sora said.

The four walked up to the other door and opened it. What they saw next amazed them and shocked Sora. It was the library from his dream about Kairi. He remained completely stunned as the others looked around the library in aw.

"Wow!" Luigi said, with amazement. "I've never been in a library like this before. If Yoshi ate a library book I'd take the words right out of his mouth."

Fox just rolled his eyes, "It's true what Sora says. You do tell the worst jokes."

"Ah, my adoring public." Luigi sighed. He then noticed Sora looking around the library. "Are you alright, Sora?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said, trying to refocus. "Something just entered my mind." He then walked over to a corner of the room to see the stairs from his dream. _"This can't be the same place. Could this be where Kairi came from? Or maybe I just have a bad case of deja vu." _

The four walked up the stairs and arrived at the second floor. They noticed a square table with a small green lamp on it. As they walked over to take a rest, Luigi tripped over a book and landed on his face. Everyone started laughing as Luigi stood up and picked up the book.

"I swear one of these days I will have the last laugh." Luigi groaned. He then looked at the book and saw an open spot from a bookshelf. "Some slob most have left this book here. Someone can break a leg if they're not careful."

"Then how come you haven't broken one yet?" Fox asked rhetorically.

Ignoring Fox's comment, Luigi walked over to the bookshelf to put the book away.

"Careful." Sora warned. "Something might happen."

"Kid, you watch too much T.V." Luigi said. "Trust me. This is real life." He then put the book back on the shelf. "See? Nothing..."

All of a sudden the bookshelf spun Luigi into the wall. Sora ran over to the bookshelf and looked up at it.

"Nothing will happen, huh?" Sora said rolling his eyes.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE KID!" Luigi muffled through the bookshelf. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Sora pulled the book out and the bookshelf spun around again this time sending Sora behind the wall and Luigi on the outside. "Thanks, kid." He then looked to see only Fox and Yoshi. "Hey, where did you go?" He then looked back at the bookshelf. "Are you behind the bookshelf?"

"No, I'm all the way in South Dakota." Sora muffled sarcastically. "OF COURSE I'M BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF!"

Luigi turned to Fox and Yoshi and said, "Why don't we just leave him in there? It would finally be quite around here."

"I HEARD THAT!" screamed Sora.

"Only kidding." Luigi chuckled nervously. He put the book back in and Sora came spinning out while Luigi went spinning in. This time Luigi put his hand out to stop the spinning and crushed it in the process. "YOW!"

"Guys, let's leave him like this." Sora joked.

"Listen, let's stop fooling around and try to figure out a way in." Fox said, annoyed.

Sora, Yoshi, and Fox pushed the bookshelf the other way freeing Luigi. The plumber took off his glove and started kissing his hand. Sora bent down to him and chuckled.

"You okay man?" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Luigi responded. "Every single bone in my hand broke and I thank you for doing so."

"Don't mention it." Sora joked.

Yoshi wandered into the secret bookshelf and noticed a red button on the wall.

"Ooh, shiny red button." Yoshi said excitedly. He then pressed the button causing the sound of a door to open.

The others also noticed this sound and could hear it coming from the hallway.

"What just happened?" Sora asked Luigi.

"It sounds like something opened up." Luigi assumed. He then gasped in realization. "The door we need to get into! That's what opened up!"

"But how did it open suddenly?" Fox asked.

Sora then realized that Yoshi wasn't around anywhere. He began to look around the library when he saw the secret bookshelf and Yoshi still inside. He walked into it and bent down to Yoshi.

"Hey, was that sound from you?" Sora asked.

"Um...Yoshi press shiny button and then it make funny noise." Yoshi said nervously. "Is Yoshi in trouble?"

"No way!" Sora smiled. "You just helped up open the door."

"Hooray!" Yoshi cried. He then paused and made a dumbfounded look. "Um, what door?"

Sora just chuckled while rolling his eyes. "Never mind."

The two rejoined the others and the all headed outside. They then looked to their left to notice the chained door has opened. The four cheered as they made their way down to the first floor. Unfortunately, the heartless showed up just as they began to walk.

"Not again!" Luigi exclaimed.

Drawing his keyblade, Sora slashed through the heartless with a very hard strike. They then dissolved from the hard attack. He looked at his weapon and kissed it on the blade part.

"Ah, so good to have you back." Sora said relieved.

Fox twirled his staff around to confuse the heartless, making them follow his staff's moments. Finally, Fox gave a hard slash at them, destroying them. Yoshi shot his eggs at the ones in the air and knocked them down. Luigi then shot thunder at them and destroyed them. A couple of round ones charged at Sora who used strike raid on them and sent them flying. Another one came from behind, but he threw it at the other one just in time.

The gang finished off the rest of the heartless and quickly made a run for the door. New wizard like heartless attacked them with magic spells and Luigi used an updated Aero spell to protect them from the attack. The gang made it to the door and dove into it, getting away from the heartless. They stood up and brushed themselves off. The next area they were in was a blue room which had yellow light strings at the cliffs.

"Guys, let's move!" Sora told his friends. "The world won't save itself you know."

The foursome left to the next area of Hallow Bastion. Meanwhile, back in the chapel of the castle, a familiar figure was limping into the room. He put his hand against the wall and breathed heavily. He could still feel the sweat coming down from his silver hair. He still couldn't believe he lost the keyblade to that nobody. He was better then him in every way. He was more stronger, more popular, and undefeated. He had been scarred for life from that defeat.

"Why?" Riku said weakly. "I had it right in my hands. Why him? I'm way more powerful then him."

"That duel of yours proved wrong." said a low and mysterious voice. Riku turned to notice the same cloaked man that Sora met back at Destiny Island was in front of him.

"What do you want old man?" Riku panted. "What do you mean? It's true."

"Boy, know only this." the man began. "Only the heart that is strong and true shall claim the keyblade. You however did not meet the requirements."

Riku gasped at what the man said. He couldn't accept the fact that Sora's heart was stronger then his own.

"Impossible!" cried Riku. "My heart is weaker then his? It can't be!"

"For that instant it was." the man explained. "He surpassed you in every way. It was his friends that gave him this powerful boost and it still remains with him at this moment." Making a more sinister voice, the man approached Riku. "However, just because his heart became stronger doesn't mean you can't do the same."

"Sorry, pal." Riku said in a harsh tone. "The friendship thing won't work for me."

The man laughed softly under his hood, "Ah, but there is a way that will make the boy's friendship shatter into pieces. Your heart will surpass him in every single way." Riku looked at the man with a curious look. "Well, it seem I've caught your attention. I've been watching your progress and I've seen a lot of potential in you. You showed no fear in stepping through the door of darkness. It held no terror for you."

"Darkness?" Riku asked. "How can that help me?"

"It's quite simple." the man said. "Just open yourself to the darkness. That's all it takes. Let your heart, your being become darkness itself."

Riku closed his eyes at he could feel a green wave surround his body. He relaxed into as he felt a warm wave consume him. He was unaware that the strange man was coming towards him slowly. Sora and the others have made their way outside from the blue area. On the way they explored the castle for a bit to find any useful items that might come in handy. They also found the remaining Pikmin which made the trio very happy.

Outside, the group encountered dragon like heartless that dove down at them. The group evaded the attack, but as one went back up it took Luigi along for the ride. The plumber held on for his life as the heartless took him flying around the area.

"Hang on!" Sora cried.

"Hey, I was champion of the Wild Birdo Rodeo for five years!" Luigi called. "I can mange this!"

The heartless began shaking Luigi all over and finally dove and threw him into a wall. Luigi slowly slid down the wall and hit the ground. Sora and the others ran over to him and cured him.

"Guess you lost your title." Sora said.

"Shut up." Luigi groaned.

"Duck!" Yoshi cried.

The four ducked as the heartless flew by them. Sora threw his keyblade at it, knocking it off course. Fox threw his staff at the heartless and stabbed it. As it fell, Fox jumped off the cliff and grabbed it and slashed the heartless to pieces. He then stabbed the side of the castle and jumped back up. The four activated another strange spike switch which caused a platform to appear.

Shrugging their shoulders they entered the platform and got warped to another area. They then noticed another floating platform, but this one was larger then the others. They walked over to it and used the spike switch to enter it.

"I have a feeling..." Luigi began.

"Don't finish sentence!" Yoshi cried. "When Luigi say something bad things happen!"

"What's the least that could happen?" Luigi asked, reassuring Yoshi. He turned to see heartless appear before them. "A toast to my big mouth."

Sora's group attacked the heartless head on. Sora broke through the shield heartless with a Ragnarok attack and Fox used earthquake to knock a group of wizard heartless off course. Luigi used thunder at one of them, but it disappeared and reappeared behind him. Yoshi used his tongue to eat it before it could strike its pray. Fox twirled his staff around and slashed the remaining heartless into oblivion.

With that done, our heros finally exited the platform and walked into the next room. They then had to climb what appeared it be endless stairs. They climbed for what felt like hours to them when it was only ten minutes. Finally, the foursome crawled to the top of the stairs so exhausted that they were sweating and Yoshi's tongue hung out.

"Tired tortellini." Luigi sighed. "That felt like climbing the Empire State Building."

"If you make us fall down the stairs like last time." Sora began. "I'm going to take your cap and throw into the sea."

Luigi stood up and brushed himself off. "Right, whatever. Let's get going!"

"Krystal." Fox said softly. "She's close. I can feel her."

"What's his problem?" Luigi asked Sora.

"The guy's love struck." Sora said angrily. "Can't you respect that?"

"Like you and Kairi?" Luigi teased.

"What?" Sora blushed.

Yoshi giggled and sang, "Sora and Kairi sitting in a tree..."

Before Yoshi could finish the heartless showed up again and ambushed our heros. Sora getting fed up with the constant attacks summoned Marth into battle by sending Luigi and Yoshi into summon gem.

"I am here master." Marth said, greeting Sora.

Sora just laughed, "Listen man, I'm not your master. We just need some help."

"Oh, right." Marth nodded.

He then charged up his sword which caused his body to glow brightly. The heartless all flew at Marth ready to strike when Marth finished charging up and released a powerful blow that caused an explosion. The force knocked Sora and Fox back into a wall. As the smoke cleared, the two could only see Marth around the area, putting his sword away.

"Whoa!" Fox exclaimed. "He's pretty good!"

"My work here is done." the swordsmen said quietly. "I shall be available again when needed."

As Marth disappeared, the others rejoined Sora and Fox. The group made their way through the next level encountering wave after wave of heartless. Sora didn't care if he faced a million, he was in this to save both Riku and Kairi from the darkness. He bravely slashed through an army of heartless and defeated them all. The others including Luigi all fought their hardest knowing they were fighting for their loved ones.

At long last the group reached the last level of the tower. The group had to climb up a giant pedestal with a heartless symbol on it to each the top. After a few minutes of climbing, everyone but Yoshi made to the top. Yoshi noticed another spike switch and pressed it causing half of the pedestal to lower. Sora, Luigi, and Fox smacked their foreheads realizing they went through all the trouble for nothing. Yoshi rejoined the others and the four made their way inside towards the chapel.

Meanwhile, back in the summoning room with the seven girls, Kairi was laying in the middle of the round area that had medal pipes all around. It also had the heart with the multicolor inside and the dark waves. Bowser approached the heart and looked up at it. He made an evil smile as he looked up and began to laugh manically.

"Oh, yeah, baby!" Bowser laughed. "Who is da man with the plan? I think that would be me. Soon, everyone will finally bow before me. I think I'll even open my own amusement park." He then began to fantasize it. "Bowserland! Those most rotten place on earth! Where you can come to the Terrible Kingdom!" He then laughed manically again.

"For someone with such an insignificant mind, you sure can cause a big disaster." called a strange voice.

Bowser turned to see Riku wearing his dark clothing again. But something was different about him. Bowser couldn't figure it out though. The evil rival walked next to Bowser and looked up at the heart.

"And what do I call the pleasure of this visit?" Bowser asked annoyed.

"You did a good job." Riku said with a mixture of two voices. "The path has emerged at last."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Bowser said proudly. "I proudly present to you the keyhole to the darkness." Bowser then laughed. "The time has come."

"If you unlock it, the heartless will overrun this world." Riku pointed out. "I suggest being careful..."

"Ha!" Bowser laughed. He then smirked. "Whatever man, does it look like I care? With the power of the Star Rod, the darkness can't even touch me. However, I shall use its power to rule all worlds and everyone shall praise me!"

"Hm, someone has a bit too much confidence." Riku smirked evilly.

Bowser snorted at Riku, "I may be an idiot but I can still pull this off." He then paused at what he just said. "Hey wait a minute..."

"Fool." Riku muttered under his breath.

Riku held out his hand and a dark wave appeared in his hand. The wave then turned into something shocking, a keyblade. Riku's however was different then the one held by Sora. Unlike its good counter part this one had no keychain on it, a red handle that was shaped more like an oval and had red waves on the outside. The blade was black and much more sharper then the normal keyblade. Bowser noticed this and made an amazed look.

"Wow!" Bowser said. "Cool!" He then began to notice something wrong. He couldn't understand why the keyhole wasn't fully complete. "Something's not right. The keyhole should have been completed by now. The princesses of heart are all here, aren't they?" He then began counting the princesses. "One, two, three...um..what comes after three?"

"Four." Riku groaned.

"Four, five, six, seven." Bowser said, counting again. "They're all here." He then noticed Kairi's lifeless body. "Rotten reptiles, of course! It's this kid that's the problem."

The two villains walked over to Kairi. Riku looked at her like he didn't even have as much feeling as he used to for the red head. Simply looking over her Riku could tell that something was missing.

"The keyhole will remain incomplete until her heart is reunited with her body." Riku said. "Our efforts are pointless unless we get the heart back."

"I've looked everywhere and I still can't find it." Bowser sighed. "How are we ever going to get this show on the road without it?" He then noticed a confident look on Riku's face. "You know, don't you? You've known all along. Tell me where it is!" Before Riku could answer, the two turned to hear the sound of a door opening in the distance. Bowser groaned upon hearing it. "Oh, great. Looks like that pasta pulverizing plumber's pals just arrived." Sighing, he snapped his finger and a half oval floating vehicle with a clown face floated up to Bowser. "If you can't get someone to get the job done, then you do it yourself." He then turned Riku. "I'll personally take care of those worms myself. Meanwhile, you stay here and guard the princesses. Also, tell my son to retreat for our backup plan incase of failure which should not happen."

Bowser jumped into his clown cart and flew out of the room. A blue mist surrounded Riku as he watched the koopa king leave.

"Too bad your fate has already been sealed." Riku said with a sinister voice.

Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Fox finally arrived at the chapel room of Hallow Bastion. Away from the heartless for the moment, Sora, Luigi and Yoshi slid down back to back and sighed. Fox steeped forward and looked around.

"We're close." Fox said. "It shouldn't be long now."

"Hold up, Fox." Sora sighed. "I'm pooped."

"Kid, I've battled space monsters on a flying ship for most of my adult years and did I once ever say I'm pooped?"

"Buddy, do you realize how many flights of stairs we climbed to get here?" Luigi complained.

"So?" Fox said, rasing his eyebrow. "I'd rather walk up flights of stairs just to save the one I love."

"Fox is right." Sora said standing up. "We're almost there anyways. Let's keep going."

"Sorry, worms." called a familiar voice. "But you won't be going anywhere."

"That voice..." Yoshi began with a gasp

"...it can't be!" Luigi finished nervously.

Bowser then floated in on his giant clown cart and laughed.

"Bowser!" Sora exclaimed.

"Who were you expecting? The Tooth Fairy?" Bowser asked sarcastically.

"You know this joker?" Fox asked Luigi.

"To make a long story short let's just say he has a thing with abducting people." Luigi said to Fox.

Sora took out his keyblade and angrily pointed it at Bowser. "Bowser, hand over Kairi!"

"And Krystal!" Fox added.

"Peach as well!" Luigi and Yoshi said together.

"Sure why not?" Bowser lied.

"Really?" Yoshi asked with hope.

"No." Bowser scoffed. He then laughed. "One of the nice things about being evil is, you get to lie a lot."

"What kind of villain rides around in a blimp that looks like a clown anyways?" Sora asked rhetorically. "No dark horse, flying space ship. I'd rather face Maleficent then a guy in a clown blimp." Bowser growled.

"Cut me some slack, kid." Bowser growled. "I have a low budget. You don't know how easy it is to keep this place dirty and rotten."

"You mean like yourself?" Luigi said.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Luigi." Bowser smirked. He then made a serious look at Luigi. "We've been fighting each other for years. You and that brother of yours have always foiled my plans. But it's different this time. It's more then just capturing Peach. You boys are too late to stop us. As we speak the final keyhole is getting ready to be unsealed and this world will plunge into the deepest darkness."

Yoshi cowered behind Sora in fear and the others gasped.

"No, it can't." Fox said in shock.

"Afraid so." Bowser smirked. "You can't stop the darkness. It's unstoppable. Go home now while you have the chance."

Sora eyed his friends and they all nodded to him. They knew that their toughest challenge was right in front of them. Luigi was the most nervous of them all. Not by the number of times he acted like a coward but it was an extremely rare occasion for him to face Bowser alone. He was scared and wished that his big brother was here to fight. He then saw an image of his older sibling in front of him and smiled.

"_I know you're not with me bro." _Luigi thought. _"But I will fight with all my heart. I'm going to make you proud big brother." _

He then looked to see that his friends were also by his side and he knew that he wasn't alone. He then looked at Sora. Somehow over the past few weeks of knowing him, Sora has matured in a way that made Luigi feel like a proud older brother. He knew that Sora looked at him like an older sibling putting aside the silly antics they always got into. Luigi felt as though his brother's spirit was resting inside the keyblade master. He had nothing to fear and was ready. He knew that this was going to be the most intense fight he's ever faced against Bowser.

Sora got his keyblade ready for the battle. "After coming this far? I don't think so. We'll stop it no matter what you say!"

"You fools!" Bowser growled. "Do you actually think you can beat me? The king of all koopas?"

"So, I guess you couldn't stand your lackeys doing your job anymore, huh?" Fox smirked.

"I got bored." Bowser explained. "Haven't done anything rotten in a long time, not since yesterday." He then took out the Star Rod. "And you forget that I hold the Star Rod. The one held by Dedede is nothing compared to the power of this one. Mario couldn't even beat it on his first shot."

"It doesn't matter!" Yoshi cried. "We beat you!"

"Then it's time to exterminate you pests once and for all." Bowser said. He then made the Star Rod glow and produce more heartless. "Attack!"

The group ran at the heartless as fast as they could. Fox and Yoshi took on the heartless while Luigi and Sora went for Bowser. Fox jumped over the shield heartless and slashed it from behind. He then twirled his staff around and gave it a hard swing like a baseball bat. Five more surrounded him and he stuck his staff into the ground and grabbed it and went horizontal, running around the heartless in a clockwise position. He then shot a ice spell at one and jumped onto one and jumped off it. He then fired his laser gun at it, blasting it away.

Yoshi used egg roll and rolled around the room, knocking heartless away. He then ate one and turned it into an egg and threw it at another one. He then used the butt drop on another slamming it into the ground. Yoshi then swatted a few away with his tail and knocked one into the air. He then took another egg and hit the one in the air.

Sora and Luigi ran at Bowser with their weapons out. Bowser flew down at them and the two ducked under the attack.

"Hey, do you know his weakness?" Sora asked Luigi.

"After facing this guy ten millions times I think I would know." Luigi groaned.

Bowser then took out a bomb and threw it at them. Sora quickly threw his keyblade at the bomb and destroyed it.

"Grr, lucky punk!" Bowser growled. "How about these apples?"

"What's with the one-liners?" Sora asked Luigi. "He sounds like you except worse."

"Kid, not now!" Luigi moaned. Bowser took a maniacal toy version of himself and threw it at them. "I swear he can be more original then that."

Luigi walked over to the toy and stopped the wind handle. He then threw it to Sora who made a confused look at it.

"Uh, what do I do with this?" a stumped Sora asked.

"Throw it at his head!" Luigi shouted.

Sora threw the wind up toy at Bowser and it hit his head.

"Ow!" Bowser shouted. "That hurt! A wise guy, huh? Take this!"

He then fired his Star Rod at the both of them and they quickly dodged it. Sora jumped up and got onto the Koopa cart and held on with his life.

"Hang on!" Luigi called to Sora.

"Get off you brat!"

"No way!" Sora cried. Bowser flew as fast as he could to try and shake the boy off him, but had no luck. "My turn!"

Sora stabbed the clown cart and quickly jumped off. It began sparking from the powerful blow and then exploded, sending the koopa king flying across the room.

"You'll pay for that!" Bowser said.

Sora clashed his keyblade with the Star Rod and Bowser grabbed Sora's lower leg and threw him into a wall. Luigi fired a thunder spell but Bowser created a force field, blocking the attack. He then fired a lightning spell which zapped Luigi hard.

"LUIGI!" Sora cried in shock.

Luigi weakly fell down from the attack and was black with smoke coming out of him. Sora used Cura to bring Luigi's health back up and helped him up.

"Be careful." Luigi warned, still a little dazed. "This Star Rod is very dangerous."

"Right." Sora nodded.

Soon Fox and Yoshi joined the battle and they all attacked Bowser.

"Guys, try to get the Star Rod back from him!" Luigi instructed.

Yoshi tried to grab it with his tongue, but Bowser grabbed Yoshi's tongue with his other hand and threw him across the room. Sora and Fox attacked with their weapons and Bowser shot fire out from his mouth. The two dodged the attack and slashed at Bowser who only blocked it with his arm.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

Bowser grabbed both of them and slammed them into the ground. Luigi shot a ice spell at Bowser who once again used Star Rod to block it. Sora quickly got up and rammed his head into the monster's stomach and sent him crashing into a wall. Sora then rapidly slashed at the koopa king who then finally rammed him back. He weakly panted as the four regrouped.

"We've got you now." Fox said with confidence.

"Sorry, pal." Bowser said with a sinister smirk. "Not even close."

Bowser caused his Star Rod to glow green, releasing green sparkling rays of light. Although it was beautiful, they knew he had recovered his health.

"That Star Rod is too powerful." Sora said. "How are we going to beat?"

"Well, the star spirits could have helped but when our world was destroyed, so were they in the process." Luigi explained.

"This room is kind of stuffy, so let's change the setting." Bowser said holding up the Star Rod.

A giant out line of a yellow Star flew out from the rod causing it to fly into the air. It then released a bright light which blinded everyone. As the light began to dim, Sora opened his eyes and gasped at his new surroundings. They were nowhere but on a giant green platform that was extremely large. By looking at the shape, they could tell they were on top of a giant heart.

Sora could also notice giant round floating bombs with spikes on them. He then could see Bowser holding the Star Rod with an evil grin.

"What happened?" Yoshi whimpered.

"I just wanted to set the tone for when your when I pound your faces into the ground." Bowser laughed.

"We'll see!" Sora cried.

The four ran at Bowser again who also ran at them. Sora clashed with the Star Rod again and spun around to hit Bowser on the side. However, Bowser was quicker and knocked Sora back. Luigi and Yoshi then kicked Bowser, sending him sliding across the floor. Bowser got up and fired lasers at them which they barley dodged. Bowser then shot multi fireballs at the foursome.

Fox spun his staff around and blew the attack right back at Bowser. He quickly ducked underneath the attack and fired more fireballs at them. The gang dodged the attack and ran at Bowser again who this time fired a giant energy wave at everyone. Sora ducked under the attack but the others weren't as lucky. They all spun back and hit the ground.

"Now feel my true power!" Bowser cried.

Bowser put the Star Rod up and he began glowing all over. He was surrounded by pink energy and outlined stars. Sora slashed at Bowser but it had no affect whatsoever.

"T-that's impossible!" gasped Sora.

"Oh, it's very possible!" Bowser laughed. He then smacked Sora across the room until he slid to the edge. "As long as I hold the Star Rod, I'm invincible." Bowser walked over to Sora with his pounding feet and grabbed him. "Since you've been the entire cause of this problem, you'll be the first to suffer."

"No!" Luigi shouted weakly. "Leave him out of this! This is between you and me!"

"Wait your turn." Bowser sang with a singy-songy voice. He then punched Sora in the face and sent him flying across the room again. Bowser used the Star Rod's power to bring him back into Bowser's giant hand. "Wait, there's more!"

Bowser spun his Star Rod around causing Sora to go flying all over the place. He then send Sora crashing into the ground. Sora couldn't go on. He was too weak to continue fighting. He could feel defeat inside of him. Bowser grabbed Sora's shirt collar and held him up.

"Sora!" Fox weakly called. "Be strong!"

"Enough!" Bowser said. He then noticed the bomb and made a sinister smile. "Well, I admit that even the keyblade master did a good job of standing up to me. But in the end, I'm still number one." He then positioned Sora towards the bomb. He was ready to throw him. "This ending is going to be a blast."

Sora knew it was over, that he had failed. He had failed everyone; Luigi, Fox, Yoshi, Riku, and Kairi. A tear slowly streamed down his face and the tear drop gently landed on his keychain. The keychain then began to glow and Bowser noticed this.

"What the-"

The keyblade became brighter then anything ever seen before. It was beautiful and amazing. It then pointed its tip at the Star Rod and fired a beam at it. The darkness got extracted from the rod and stopped glowing. Bowser dropped Sora and look stupidly at the Star Rod.

"What did you do?" Bowser asked in horror. He tried to activate its power but didn't do anything. "Is there an on button here or something?"

"What happened?" Yoshi asked Fox.

"I felt it." Fox weakly said. "Bowser was able to use the darkness from the Star Rod to use its power. Somehow, Sora's keyblade wiped out the darkness, making it useless to the ones with darkness in their hearts."

"I see!" Luigi said excitedly. "That means that Bowser if finished!"

Luigi used his Cura magic to restore Sora to full power. Sora firmly held the keyblade with both hands and smirked.

"Looks likes the tables have turned." Sora smirked.

"No, I can still beat you without this stupid rod." Bowser growled, throwing the Star Rod to the ground.

Bowser tried to attack but Sora countered with a hard strike, knocking the beast down. Sora then used Ragnarok and rapidly slashed Bowser. He then gave one hard strike to the koopa king and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Quick, grab his tail and throw him at the bomb." Luigi called out. Sora made a look at Luigi like he was crazy. "Trust me! He may way a ton, but he's light on the tail!"

Sora nodded and grabbed Bowser by the tail. He then spun him around as fast as he could. He then released Bowser's tail and Bowser hit the bomb and he went flying into the air. Bowser then landed on the ground and growled weakly. The others cheered as they ran over to their friend and congratulated him

"No!" Bowser growled in pain. "How could I lose!"

The room then flashed and reverted back to the chapel. Sora noticed an Ansem Report on the ground and picked it up. For a moment, Sora weakly lost his balance but Luigi helped him up and gave him a potion to slowly drink. As Sora recovered, Bowser weakly got up and groaned.

"Bowser still standing!" Yoshi gasped.

"This guy never stays down." Luigi groaned.

"Bowser, give it up!" Sora demanded. "We've got you surrounded."

Bowser weakly chuckled and slowly backed into the wall. "Sorry, but I'm not done. As the old saying goes; he who koops and runs away lives to koop another."

A dark portal appeared behind him and he weakly moved into it and disappeared. The others ran towards the portal trying to stop him. However, they didn't realize that an unspeakable terror was awaiting their arrival.

**To Be Continued...**

A/N: Long chapter, huh? Well, next chapter will bring us to another climax in the story. And if I don't get the next chapter up by next weekend then Happy Holidays to all.


	28. A Hassle in the Castle Part III

**Chapter XXVII: A Hassle in the Castle Part III**

Bowser arrived in another room that was extremely big and circular. He was extremely weak from his bout against the keyblade master and his friends. He leaned down and was panting heavily. He could feel the sweat drip down from him and his vision was blurry. He weakly tried to move, but he leaned back down.

"How?" Bowser asked himself weakly. "How could I have been defeated by that little rodent? The Star Rod even failed me. Does that kid ever lose a battle?" Growling, he weakly stood back up. "Everything was going according to plan, Riku had the keyblade, the door was about to open. How did this all come crumbling down?"

Bowser continued walking weakly away as he knew that Sora's group were on their way. Bowser had never felt this way before, a feeling that was inside of his chest. He did remember feeling it a long time ago, but after getting the Star Rod back, it suddenly went away. Now it was back with vengeance. He thought that this was the punishment for all the times he kidnaped Peach.

In reality, the real reason he captured Peach was because he was always alone. He was afraid of something and besides his loyal servants he had no else. All of a sudden, Riku appeared through a dark portal with his keyblade in hand. As he could see the pathetic beast on the floor, he began to take pity on the creature.

"Do you need some assistance?" the so called Riku asked. "I told you that your overconfidence would lead to your defeat."

"Listen man, I don't need your help." Bowser growled weakly. "I was just warming up against the kid."

"Hardly." Riku responded, smirking. "The boy's power has grown far beyond that of yours. Can't you feel the reason why? Can't you realize the truth?"

Bowser gasped in horror. The evil koopa king finally understood what he meant.

"This whole time?" Bowser roared. "It can't be! Why? I was in charge of this operation."

"Fool, your insolent mind lead you here." Riku said. "It was your decision in the beginning. You had no control whatsoever." He then turned away from him. "The Star Rod did protect you, but when the boy defeated you, your power weakened." He then turned back to Bowser with a scoff. "And to think...you were the king of all koopas."

Bowser roared at Riku and threw a punch at him. Riku effortlessly grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. Bowser could feel an enormous amount of pain and screamed in pain. He tried to release the grip on Riku, but it was too strong. Finally, feeling sorry for the sinister villain, he released the grip. Bowser bent down and moved his wrist around, trying to lessen the pain.

Sora and the others finally appeared in the room and noticed Bowser. The boy then noticed Riku.

"Riku!" he called.

Riku turned to Sora with a sinister look in his eyes. Sora could feel something different about Riku, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something more darker, sinister, evil. He even had a good hunch this person wasn't Riku.

"Welcome, friends." Riku said evilly. "I'm impressed to see you have come this far...only to die in the end."

"Listen, we're not going anywhere!" Fox shouted angrily. "Not until we've saved the ones we love. Also, justice shall be served for all the crimes you two have committed."

"What are you suppose to be, a law enforcer?" Luigi asked Fox, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, and abduction isn't a crime." Fox said with sarcasm. "Isn't doing the right thing for humanity justice?"

"Never mind." Luigi groaned. He then looked at Riku and noticed something in his hand. His eyes widened in fear as he noticed a familiar key shaped object. "T-that thing...in your hand, is that a...a.."

Sora gasped as he, Fox, and Yoshi also noticed. "That's impossible!"

"Yes, a keyblade." Riku said, holding up his keyblade. "Mine may look different from the one you hold, but neither the less it still is a keyblade. However, there is a major difference between yours and mine; while yours can seal keyholes, mine hold the power to unlock people's hearts. This shall release the inner darkness within."

"What that mean?" Yoshi whimpered.

Sighing, Riku put his keyblade up. "Perhaps a small demonstration is in order."

Sora sweated nervously, thinking that Riku may try to attack one of them with his keyblade. He took out his own keyblade to get ready while the others also got ready to fight as well.

"Guys, be careful." Sora whispered. "We don't know what this psycho is capable of."

Riku smirked as he brought his keyblade up into position, ready for his demonstration. The foursome got ready to expect the worse from him. The unexpected then happen, he turned around, grabbed Bowser's shoulder with his left hand, spun him around and stabbed the koopa right in the chest with his keyblade.

"Behold!" Riku shouted.

Bowser growled as the piercing pain entered his chest. He felt himself losing control of himself, he couldn't breath, and he felt something was escaping his heart, like a fence opened freeing a heard of buffalo. He tried to grab the keyblade but he was too weak to even try. Luigi was the most shocked out of anyone. He'd never expect anything like this to happen to Bowser. Sora looked on with horror as he watched Riku deliver this terrible deed.

Fox covered Yoshi's eyes as the dinosaur was still a baby and should not see something as terrible as that.

"Riku, what are you doing?" Sora cried.

Riku ignored Sora and continued stabbing Bowser.

"Now, open your heart!" Riku commanded. "Let it surrender to the darkness. Become darkness itself."

Riku finally pulled the keyblade away from Bowser and disappeared into the darkness. Bowser was unsure of what happened when it started to become clear. He felt as though he was becoming stronger and more powerful. He then saw a green glow around his body and began to get excited.

"OH, YEAH!" Bowser cheered. "Now that's what I'm talking about, baby! This is it! The darkness...the true darkness!"

Bowser then got engulfed in a wave of darkness and the wave rose higher then the four could imagine. The four got ready for the unexpected to happen. As the giant wave of darkness finally settled down, the group looked up with dropped mouths and saw Bowser. But he was three times his normal size, his yellow skin became dark brown skin, the spikes on his shell became twice as sharper, and he gained the most ugliest face ever seen. Now he was known as Giga Bowser.

"Wow!" Sora said. "If you looked up the word ugly in a dictionary his face would be right next to it."

"Kid, it would be too illegal to even put his face in a dictionary." Fox responded.

"Look out!" Yoshi cried.

Giga Bowser brought his foot down on the group who rolled out of the way of the attack. Luigi looked up at Bowser with a completely surprised.

"I've never seen this side of him before." Luigi said in disbelief. "More sinister, more dark, and he's so ugly that if he looked in a mirror the reflection would run away."

Giga Bowser then roared at the group with a loud ear shattering roar.

"Stop making him mad!" Sora told Luigi.

"Hey, who started with the dictionary?" Luigi snapped at Sora.

Giga Bowser then did a body slam on the ground and sent the foursome flying across the room. They got to their feet and looked up at the monster. They knew that this was their last battle against Bowser and they had to give it all they've got. The four then nodded to each other and charged at Giga Bowser. Giga Bowser breathed fire out of his mouth which surrounded the foursome. They noticed it was closing in on them and they jumped up and out of the way.

Luigi tried to shoot an ice spell, but Giga Bowser easily blocked the attack with his hand. Sora ran at Giga Bowser and tried to attack when Giga Bowser picked up Sora and threw him across the area. He got back up and ran at Giga Bowser again who tried to attack. Sora ducked under the blow and jumped up to hit the koopa king. Giga Bowser knocked him aside and Sora slid across the floor. Giga Bowser shot flames at Fox who spun his staff and knocked the attacks back.

The attacks did no damage whatsoever to the beast. Fox put the point of his staff into the ground and jumped onto it and jumped off. Fox got on top of his head and grabbed his horns.

"I got him!" Fox cried.

It wasn't long before Giga Bowser rapidly shook his head and knocked the fox off. Yoshi tried an egg and Giga Bowser grabbed it and squeezed it in his hand. The ooze from the egg squeezed out of his hand and onto the floor. Yoshi gulped nervously and ran for it. Giga Bowser grabbed Yoshi and began squeezing him. Yoshi felt the pain and screamed as his body got crushed. Sora quickly threw the keyblade at Giga Bowser's hand and gave him a crucial amount of pain. He began kissing his hand and Sora threw it at him again, hitting his head. Giga Bowser roared in pain from the blow and Yoshi attacked with another egg, also hitting his head.

Sora called Ness into battle who arrived just in time as Giga Bowser shot his fire breath at them. Ness put his PSI shield up to absorb the damage and then took his left. Sora then called in Mr. Game and Watch who attacked with his sausages. Giga Bowser just swatted him off like a fly easily.

"Boy, he was some help." Sora groaned with sarcasm. He then made a serious look up at the beast. "Man, he's more powerful then ever."

"We can still beat him!" Fox cried. "We have to pull together!"

Giga Bowser jumped into the air and slammed his body down on the four again. They went flying across the room and quickly got back up. Giga Bowser brought his mouth down, trying to eat the foursome. They tried to run but, it was too late. The four were in side the disgusting saliva of the beast's mouth. It dripped down from the top of the mouth and landed on Luigi's head.

"Ew!" Luigi said disgusted. "I've been drooled on!"

"Quick, we got to get out before we become digested!" Fox cried.

The mouth slowly began to close on our four heros. Thinking quickly, Sora put the keyblade on top of the lower lip and the bottom lip pressed on the top.

"Run!" Sora cried. The gang quickly made a run out of the mouth except for Sora who stayed behind. "There's one more thing to take care of." He ran back into the mouth and cracked his knuckles. He looked to see the red dangling uvula. He then threw a punch at it.

Giga Bowser screamed from the extraordinary pain he felt. Sora jumped out and grabbed his keyblade on the way. The group quickly ran behind Giga Bowser and ran up his shell. They ran around the spikes as fast as they could. As they reached the top, Sora slashed at Giga Bowser's head. The others then joined in beating up Giga Bowser. He roared in pain from the intense blows he was receiving. They then jumped off him and looked back up at him.

Giga Bowser was still roaring in pain from the intense damage he received from Sora and his friends. The group felt more confident now they have weaken Giga Bowser. Sora looked to Luigi and nodded. He knew what had to be done.

"We got him now!" Fox smirked. "One more strike and..."

"Wait a minute!" Sora said, stopping Fox. He then turned to Luigi. "Luigi! Heads up!"

"Huh?" Luigi asked, turning to Sora. The keyblade master threw his keyblade to Luigi who caught it. "Kid, what are you-"

"Luigi, you do the honors." Sora smiled. "Make your brother proud."

Luigi felt emotional from Sora's words and smiled.

"Thank you, Sora." Luigi said softly. Then with a serious look in his eyes he turned to Giga Bowser and held the keyblade with both hands. "This one's for you, bro!"

Luigi took the P3000 off and ran right at Giga Bowser. The blade of the keyblade began to glow green as he charged at his enemy. Giga Bowser shot fire breath at Luigi who knocked the attack away with the keyblade. Luigi jumped into the air and brought the keyblade hard down on the monster until he reached the ground. Luigi then took one finally horizontal slash at Giga Bowser and the beast began glowing green.

His eyes began glowing green and a green light came out from his mouth. His whole body then got engulfed in a ray of green light and exploded which sent the group flying. Smoke surrounded the entire room as everything began to calm down. As the smoke cleared, the group weakly got up and looked around. Giga Bowser was no where in sight.

"Did we win?" Yoshi asked.

Sora nodded, "We sure did."

"Thanks, Sora." Luigi said to Sora. "For letting me be the one to finish this fight."

"It's like you told me..." Sora smiled. "This is your battle, not mine. So shouldn't you be the one to fight it?" He then looked on the floor to notice a summon gem and an Ansem report and pocketed it.

Luigi then turned to notice dark dust on the floor. Those were his remains of darkness. Luigi felt happy, but sad at the same time.

"I can't believe we finally beat him." Luigi said with amazement. "He's really gone for good this time. And we didn't even need my brother to help." He then made a sad look.

"What's the matter?" Fox asked concerned. "I thought you would be happy about this victory."

"I am." Luigi sighed. "But, I feel bad for him. Leading this terrible life. He even helped save our world once and things won't be the same."

"Agreed." called a sinister voice. "With him out of the way, the keyhole can now be finished without ignorance."

The group gasped as Riku walked back from the dark portal.

"Riku!" Sora cried.

"Kid, he's not deaf you know." Luigi groaned.

Riku looked down at his feet to see the remaining darkness of Bowser. He lost all self-respect for the koopa king. He then looked up at the group.

"Isn't it ironic though?" Riku said. "That in the end he too was just another puppet in their little game."

"Whoa!" Fox exclaimed. "Puppet?"

"Are you just saying that because his I.Q. is that of a puppet?" Luigi teased.

"Dude, this isn't the time to joke." Sora groaned. He then turned back to Riku. "You mean he was used like K. Rool, Ganondorf, and Black Shadow?"

"Correct." Riku nodded. "The heartless were using him from the entire start. He failed to notice that the darkness was eating away at his heart. Strange, somehow the Star Rod protected him from the darkness for a short time." He then glared at Sora's keyblade. "That was because his darkness was wrapping around the rod and when the boy released his power, the darkness left the rod." He then looked back down at Bowser. "Sad, he led such a miserable life and he wanted to gain true power only to impress the princess. But with a insignificant mind like that, he was an easy target for the heartless." He then rubbed the darkness away with his foot. "Such a fitting end for such a fool."

Riku left through the dark portal leaving the others in shock. Luigi never realized how badly Bowser wanted to impress the princess. He must have been jealous of Mario. Sora was still focused on Riku. His eyes looked down at the floor with depression, thinking why would Riku do this? Everything that happened up till now has begun to tear their lifelong friendship apart. Sora could then feel something warm holding his hand. He looked to see Yoshi who smiled at him with reassurance.

"Sora no be sad." Yoshi said warmly. "Yoshi, Luigi, and Fox help."

"Thanks Yoshi." Sora smiled. "I knew I could count on you guys."

"Listen, Bowser is no longer our concern." Fox said. "I sense that Riku or whoever that really was is the true mastermind behind this whole ordeal."

"Possibly a force stronger then that of Bower and the heartless." Luigi added. He then gulped nervously. "Maybe, we should go home." The others grabbed him and pulled him along to the exit. "At least let me go. I'm going to miss my Soaps! I want to find out if they'll get off that stupid island!"

The group returned to the chapel area of Hallow Bastion where they noticed that a hole appeared in one of the walls. Figuring it was a way to find the princesses the group took the path. Luigi also pocketed the Star Rod for safe keeping. On the way, the group ran into some more heartless but had no problem defeating them. The four then arrived at another giant door and opened it. They then arrived in the room where the seven princesses where the same one Bowser was in before.

The group felt nervous in the presence of the room. It felt dark and eerie as they walked down the red carpet. The wind whistled into the room which made everyone jump. Fox then looked to the six girls in the containers. His eyes widened in excitement as the group noticed a purple fox in one of them.

"Krystal!" Fox cried. He ran over to the container and began pounding on it. "Krystal! Krystal! Please wake up! It's me Fox!"

The others gasped as they noticed the other princesses.

"Look!" Yoshi pointed. "It Samus!"

"That's not all!" Luigi added. "There's Zelda, Dixie and..."

"Some bear girl." Sora finished, noticing the bear.

Yoshi and Luigi then both noticed Peach.

"Peach!" they both cried.

While the duo ran over to try and wake Peach up, that strange feeling Sora felt in his heart returned to him. This time it felt like it was trying to show him something. He then felt like he needed to go upstairs to where the outlined heart was. Without thinking, he ran up the stairs. Luigi and Yoshi both noticed this and followed him. Fox was too busy with Krystal to even notice.

Sora ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He could feel excitement all around him as he reached the top and entered the circular area. Luigi followed in but, when Yoshi tried to walk in, an invisible wall knocked him back.

"Kid, are you okay?" Luigi asked Yoshi concerned.

Yoshi stood up and groaned, "Yoshi okay." He then noticed the wall. "But where did wall come from?"

"I knew it!" Luigi exclaimed in fear. "This is a trap!"

Sora then noticed Kairi's lifeless body on the ground and quickly ran over to her and put his arm under her. Sora was so excited to finally have Kairi back with him again, but he noticed that she wasn't waking up. He then began to feel nervous.

"Kairi!" Sora said worryingly. "Please wake up! It's me!" Sora shook her slowly but she wouldn't budge. "Kairi." Tears began to fill up in his eyes. "Kairi, if only I gave the paopu fruit to you. I'm sorry. The night of the meteor shower, I promised." Sora then pressed his face into her chest and started crying. "I'm so sorry! Please, come back to me!"

Luigi walked over and put his hand on Sora's shoulder, comforting the boy. Sora continued crying with his face buried in her chest.

"I'm afraid grieving over your loss will not bring her back to you." called a familiar voice.

Sora dried his tears and looked up to see Riku sitting on top of the outlined heart.

"Try as you might child." Riku began. "But that girl has lost her heart. She can never wake up."

Sora stood up and looked angrily at Riku, "It's true! Even if Riku did go insane, he'd still care about Kairi! You're not Riku at all! You took over him!"

"So you figured it out, huh?" Riku smirked. "It's incredible what one would do anything for something ridiculous as love. Because he opened his heart to the darkness I was able to take over."

"You're insane!" Luigi said coldly.

"Believe what you want." Riku shrugged. "But it doesn't matter because the keyhole will be ready to open the door. As you can see, it is still incomplete and shall remain that way as long as the last princess of heart still sleeps." He then jumped off the heart and floated down to the stairs in front of it.

Sora gasped as he looked at Kairi. The same friend he grew up with was really a princess. He never realized how Kairi's part in this dark plan was this deep.

"She's a princess?" Sora asked Riku.

"Yes." Riku responded. "She is like the piece to a puzzle. Once she is solved, it shall be complete. Once she is awaken then the keyhole will appear." He then licked his lips. "I can already taste it."

"Sorry, pal!" Luigi called out. "But your going on a strict diet!"

"Please, your in no position to be threatening me." Riku said. "I hold all the cards here."

"You've gone too far!" Sora said angrily. He was filled with hatred and rage for whoever this person was. He changed Sora's life forever and could never forgive him. "You've hurt my friends, you've hurt these innocent people, and you brainwashed Riku. Give his heart back! Let him go! He's no threat to you anymore."

"True, but first there is something that you have that I want." Riku said. He then pointed his keyblade at Sora's chest. "You must hand over the princess's heart!"

Sora was confused by what Riku meant. He first thought it magically appeared somewhere in his pocket. He began searching through every pocket he had and couldn't find a thing. He looked around his body to see if there was anything different. All of a sudden, his chest began glowing and Sora felt a second presents in his chest. It felt so strange that he gasped and leaned over. Luigi ran over to his aid.

"Sora!" Luigi cried. "Are you okay?"

"Why do I feel so weird?" Sora said, gasping for air.

"Hasn't it occurred to you yet?" Riku asked. He then walked down the stairs. "The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you."

"She's inside of me?" Sora gasped. "All those memories of her, the flashbacks, the strange feelings in my chest were because of her heart?"

"Correct." Riku nodded. "Her heart was too afraid to enter the darkness, but it found the safe haven of your heart, Sora."

"Whoa!" Luigi said impressed. "How do you know all this?"

"Why? Because I know all that there is to know." Riku explained. "I am the seeker of knowledge, I know no limits."

"Please, tell me who you are." Sora weakly demanded.

Riku just looked at the boy with pity, "Well, I guess I could. A last request before your demise shall sound good." He then made an evil smile at Sora. "I am called Ansem, the seeker of darkness."

Everyone gasped in complete shock like nothing before. The same Ansem that ruled this world turned his back on his people and his home world. Sora couldn't believe his ears.

"Why?" Luigi asked in anger. "Your people looked up to you. How could you do something like this? Betray them by experimenting on their hearts and now this."

"Fool, I am going to build a better world." Ansem said. "A world ruled by darkness and you shall bow before me." He then looked at Sora. "The only thing required is the boy now."

Ansem began to make his way towards Sora. Luigi jumped in front of Sora and had bravery in his eyes.

"Not as long as I protect him!" cried a brave Luigi.

Luigi ran at Ansem ready to strike. Ansem rolled his eyes and sighed. He then knocked the plumber effortlessly aside and sent him flying out of the area and into Yoshi. The two rolled back and fainted from the hard blow.

"No..." Sora said weakly. "Luigi...Yoshi..."

Ansem walked up to Sora with a confident look. He looked down at Sora and pointed his keyblade at him.

"The time has come." Ansem said. "Now, I shall awaken you from your slumber princess. With your power I shall complete the keyhole. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!"

Ansem began to bring his keyblade up with a sinister laugh as Sora remained helpless. The villain griped it tightly and knew that nothing could stop him now. Sora wanted to fight back, but he was being held back by the fact that Kairi's heart was beating along side of him. He closed his eyes knowing that this time he was going to lose. He had no strength to continue. He lost all hope when he could hear the voices of everyone of his friends.

"Kid, get up and fight!" said the voice of Luigi

"Sora no give up!" said the voice of Yoshi.

"Don't back down!" said the voice of Fox.

"You can do this man!" said the voice of Riku.

The last voice is what gave him a real boost of confidence.

"Sora!" cried the voice of Kairi.

Sora knew right there and then that he couldn't give up now. He whipped out his keyblade and put it up horizontally and blocked the dark keyblade's attack. Ansem's eyes widened in surprise as Sora began pushing it back.

"It can't be!" Ansem exclaimed.

"Forget it!" Sora strained. He then fully pushed Ansem back. "You want it? You've got to take it from me through sheer force."

Ansem laughed, "You arrogant fool. I'll crush you in three seconds without even trying."

"You may have the power, but I still have my dignity and I'd risk my own life to save Kairi, Luigi, and Yoshi. I'd even save Riku because he's still my friend. He may have caused a lot of pain, but I can find it in my heart to forgive him." Sora conversed with all his heart. "Ansem, I'm going to take you down."

Sora got into a fighting position as well as Ansem. The wind blew through the room as the two engaged in a stare down. A battle between two keyblade masters would determine the fate of man kind. One to save the world which was Sora and one who would destroy it. Namely Ansem. Sora ran at Ansem and slashed at him. Ansem however dodged the attack and kicked him back down.

"Please, you are far out of your league." Ansem sighed.

Sora got up and ran at Ansem again and tried to punch him, but Ansem side dodged it and grabbed Sora and threw him over his shoulder. As Sora landed, he kicked back up and sent Ansem flying across the arena. Ansem hit the ground and got up with an angry stare. The two charged at each other and clashed their keyblades together. Electricity sparked from their incredible force. Sora gave a thrust but Ansem dodged it.

Ansem slashed back but Sora ducked under it. Sora kicked at him and Ansem blocked it. Ansem brought his keyblade down and Sora blocked it. The two jumped back and charged again. Sora swung at Ansem with his right arm but Ansem knocked his keyblade away with his left. At the same time, as if both of them swiped at each other as Ansem ducked under Sora's attack and Sora jumped over Ansem's attack.

Ansem then slashed at Sora which sent him sliding across the room. He got back up as Ansem charged again and clashed with Sora. They both got into a violent sword fight by clashing their keyblades back and forth. At one point Ansem got Sora into a wall and defying the laws of gravity he walked on it to continue clashing with Ansem. He then spun out of the way of another attack and landed safely on the ground.

Ansem fired a dark beam which Sora dodged by using his dodge roll badge. Sora threw his keyblade at Ansem who knocked it away. He then tried to give a thrust at Sora's chest but the keyblade master spun out of the way and kicked him in the back. Ansem fell down and looked back up at the boy.

"Sorry, but you didn't think I'd let you get my heart that easily, right?" Sora chuckled.

"Hm, I suppose I've toyed with you long enough." Ansem said brushing himself off. "Now witness the real power of darkness."

Ansem's body began to glow light blue and electricity crackled in his hands. He then fired a blue disk which hit Sora, knocking him back. Ansem then rapidly went back and forth slashing him, tearing him apart. Sora was getting beaten badly as his body felt like two million bees were stinging him at once. Ansem then spun his body with the keyblade around and knocked him into the ground. Ansem floated down and crossed his arms as he noticed Sora's lifeless body.

All of a sudden, Sora weakly stood up and chuckled.

"Do you really thing that would stop me?" Sora chuckled. "Did you really think you won?"

"Impossible!" Ansem gasped in shock. "No one can survive that onslaught. How are you still standing?"

"Because I've encountered a move just like that." Sora explained. "Observe."

Sora snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and rapidly slashed through Ansem. The madman shouted in pain from the powerful blows he was receiving. He then smacked Sora back and used his dash attack again. Sora used Sonic Blade and the two dashed through each other, clashing with their attacks. They moved so fast it was like they couldn't even be seen. The two then charged each other again and were both screaming. Then upon impact, they caused an explosion which created high winds and raising fire.

The two jumped back and ran at each other again. Sora punched Ansem, Ansem rammed his foot up Sora's stomach. They clashed again and Sora tried to kick Ansem, but he grabbed his foot and threw him across the room. Ansem then quickly grabbed Sora and jumped into the air and then he pressed his body against the boy and they both crashed into the ground with dust exploding from the ground. Ansem jumped off as the smoked cleared and looked to see Sora on the ground, out cold.

"There." Ansem sighed. "I did it."

"Did what?" an extremely weak Sora asked.

Ansem gasped as Sora weakly stood up and used Cura on himself to recover.

"This can't be!" Ansem cried. "I knocked you out! Wh-what are you?"

"Me?" Sora asked with a smirk. "I'm just a boy with a key. Oh, and a person who believes in never giving up for the ones your fighting for. Don't you know that the good guys always win?"

"Fool, this is real life, not some fiction you read in a story." Ansem snarled. "Here, darkness always wins!"

"Prove it!" Sora smirked.

Ansem charged at Sora again and swiped at him. Sora bended way down to dodge the attack and then kicked Ansem and spun up quickly. He then grabbed Ansem by the foot and slammed him into the ground. He then jumped into the air and brought his feet down, ready to stomp Ansem when the dark keyblade master rolled out of the way. He then kicked Sora in the side and he slid across the floor. He quickly jumped back up.

Ansem has had it and was furious. He wasn't going to let this kid stop him from gaining true power.

"Enough!" Ansem shouted. "I shall end this now!"

Ansem flew into the air and began charging himself for one finally attack. The room became completely dark as Ansem powered up. Sora brought his keyblade as he was ready for the attack.

"_Luigi, Yoshi, I wish you were with me." _Sora thought while sweating nervously.

He then felt two hands wrap around the back of his hands. He looked down to see Luigi and Yoshi looking up at him with a smile. Sora closed his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you." Sora whispered.

Ansem charged at the trio as they together swung the keyblade at Ansem which hit him hard in the chest hard. Ansem went flying back and crashed into the ground. He weakly stood up, but felt right back down. He was beaten. He couldn't fight anymore. His chest began glowing with blue electricity crackling from the damage.

"My skills have failed me." Ansem said. "But I am far from finished. You may have won the battle, but you're far from winning this war. I shall return."

Ansem then dropped the keyblade and began to disappear. Sora quickly ran over to Ansem to try and get Riku back.

"Riku come back!" Sora said.

"Kid, there's no time!" Luigi called out. "We still have work to do!"

"Keyhole still need to be closed!" Yoshi added.

Deciding to deal with Riku later he ran over to where the giant heart was. He took out his keyblade and aimed it at the heart. Normally, in every other world the keyhole would have easily sealed, but this time the little beam that came out of the keyblade didn't show at all. Something was seriously wrong.

"It's not working." Sora said disappointed. "The keyhole isn't complete yet."

"What we do?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Panic!" Luigi panicked.

"Relax." Sora calmly said. "It's not complete because Kairi is still a lifeless shell. If we can free her heart, then we can seal the keyhole. But how are we going to do that?"

"Okay, does anyone know how to perform heart surgery?" Luigi asked.

"Yoshi played Operation once." Yoshi said. "Would that help?"

"Yeah, if she was a clown and had removable parts that beeped then that's a different story." Luigi groaned, rolling his eyes.

Sora remembered that Kairi's heart was inside of him. How could he release it though? He then remembered what Ansem said about the keyblade of darkness.

"A keyblade that can unlock people's hearts." Sora pondered to himself. "I wonder."

Sora slowly walked down the stairs towards the dark keyblade that Ansem left behind. Luigi and Yoshi curiously looked at their friend as he walked over to the keyblade of darkness. Sora looked down at the keyblade and began to think to himself. He closed his eyes and remained silent for the moment. He thought about his decision and knew it was a risky chose.

At this moment the only thing Sora wanted to see was his friends filled with happiness. He didn't care what happened to himself as long as Kairi, Luigi, Yoshi, and every other person lived in piece together. Sora picked up the keyblade and tapped the tip of it, feeling the sharpness of it. He then pointed it up in the air and looked at it. Luigi then understood what was about to happen. His eyes lit in fear and he got nervous.

"No, kid!" Luigi shouted at the top of his lungs. "What are you crazy? Don't do it!"

Still young to understand many things, Yoshi was a bit confused about why Luigi was panicking.

"Why Luigi having heart attack?" Yoshi asked.

Luigi turned to Yoshi, "Sora is going to stab himself, meaning he's going to give up his life."

Yoshi gasped in fear and shock. He was too scared to lose his best friend, his older brother figure.

"NOOO!" Yoshi shouted to Sora. "Sora stop! Sora stop!"

The two continued to call to the young keyblade master, but he simply ignored his two friends pleas. Finally, Sora turned to his friends and his reaction is what startled them. He gave off his famous goofy smile and acted like the entire thing was no big deal.

"See you guys later." Sora smiled.

Luigi and Yoshi quickly ran to stop him, but were too late. Sora pointed the keyblade towards his chest and stabbed it right into his chest. His chest began glowing and the keyblade floated out of his chest and onto the ground. Sora expected to feel pain but instead, he felt a warmth that caused him to relax. Luigi and Yoshi were too shocked to even move as they saw Sora getting engulfed in light. The dark keyblade disappeared from the face of the earth and six glowing balls of light floated out of it.

The two watched as the lights flew around the room and then entered the chests of six of the princesses. Another ball of light flew right out of Sora's chest and landed in Kairi's chest. At long last, her beautiful eyes opened up in surprise. Sora looked down at Kairi and smiled. He knew he did the right thing. The keyhole then glowed in the back from Kairi's awakening.

Sora's vision became too blurry for him to see anymore. He felt like falling asleep as he slowly began to float down to the ground. Yoshi ran at Sora with tears streaming down his face.

"Sora! Sora!" Yoshi and Luigi cried together.

Kairi weakly bent her upper body up and was still in a daze. She then shook it off and saw Sora weakly falling down. She weakly stood up and gasped.

"Sora?"

"Good-bye, Kairi." Sora said weakly.

"No!" she cried.

Kairi quickly ran over to him and tried to grab him. Right before her eyes, he disappeared. Kairi looked to see small fragments of light surrounding her and then fly off. She was speechless. She never expected Sora to do anything like this before her. She remained in shock as Luigi got on his hands and knees, slamming his fists into the ground.

"SORA!" Luigi shouted. "Come back, Sora!"

Yoshi fell on the floor and hardly sobbed away as his best friend took off. Kairi got on her knees and stared blindly into space as the light disappeared. Sora was lost in the darkness. His lifeless body floated through an endless abyss and he felt like a turkey that didn't have any stuffing. His breathing was light and he couldn't even raise a finger. He felt the warm darkness began to consume him.

"What's happening to me?" Sora whispered weakly. "Falling...falling...into darkness."

Meanwhile, the others remained were still coping over losing Sora. Luigi was groaning and Yoshi was sobbing his heart out. Kairi remained like a lifeless doll, looking blackly into space. She couldn't believe it, he was gone. The person she was the closest to was gone before her eyes. She couldn't accept the fact, she didn't want to believe it.

"No." Kairi said standing up. "Sora, you can't really be gone!" She then could feel anger in her eye and she cried out loud. "I'm not letting you go!" She then put her head down. "I know your alive somewhere! I can feel it." She then heard Yoshi sobbing and walked over to him. Bending down, she picked up the dinosaur and hugged him. "Oh, poor little guy. You miss him too?" Yoshi looked at Kairi and nodded sadly. Kairi wiped his tears away and cradled him. "Don't lose faith, he's alive, I just know it."

"Kid, your in denial." Luigi said standing up. "He's gone! He's never coming back! This is real life! Our loved ones can't be brought back! This isn't a magical fairytale!"

"I believe!" Kairi argued. "He was your friend and yet you show know sign of faith? I know he's alive and I won't rest until he's with me again."

Kairi's reassurance helped Yoshi get over losing Sora and also believe.

"Yoshi believe Kairi." Yoshi nodded.

Luigi put his hands in his pocket and had guilt in his eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm just so mad about this whole thing. First Riku, Bowser, and now Sora? When will the killing end?"

"When we restore order." Kairi answered.

Luigi smiled as he looked at the two children who gave him cheer.

"Yeah, Sora is out there!" Luigi said with confidence. "We won't quit!"

"Unfortunately, it's too late to stop me." called a sinister voice.

The three turned to notice a man standing before them. The man wore a dark and gray trench coat, with white gloves on. He wore black pants with pointy black boots. His white long hair extended down his back and he had a heartless symbol on his chest.

"Who that?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Perhaps my voice rings a bell." the man said.

"Of course!" Luigi cried. "I'd recognize that annoying, broken record voice anywhere. Your Ansem, the seeker of a straightjacket."

Ansem rolled his eyes with a groan, "An ignorant mind like yours can't even comprehend a quip like that."

"Say what?" Luigi asked, not understanding one word the villain said.

"In layman's term it means that joke was sad." Ansem explained.

"Man, even smart people have ways of putting my jokes down." Luigi sighed.

Ansem then turned to Kairi who was frightened of the man and held Yoshi close to her. He smiled evilly and walked up to her.

"So, you've awaken at last princess." Ansem said. "You served your purpose well and I thank you for that. Soon, the true darkness will awake and you are no longer required my dear. I have completely taken over Riku. His youth and power now runs through my veins."

"You monster!" Kairi snarled. "What are you?"

"I will soon rule over all that you see." Ansem explained. "It's best that you bow before me child. Or else I shall destroy you."

"I'll never bow before you." Kairi said bravely. "You're just an evil man."

"Then I shall destroy you." Ansem said walking towards the red head.

Kairi began to walk back in fear when Yoshi jumped out of Kairi's arms and joined Luigi. The two protected the girl from the evil king and got ready to fight.

"One more move and you'll get it." Luigi threatened.

Ansem continued walking towards the two while ignoring Luigi's comment.

"Um, Luigi." Yoshi began. Luigi turned to him. "What chance of Yoshi and Luigi stopping bad man without Sora?"

"Here, let me break down what he's going to do to us." Luigi said. "First he's going to chase us, then catch us, pound our faces into the ground, kick our butts from here to the end of the world, and use us as toothpicks."

Yoshi gulped nervously as Ansem walked towards them. He then raised his hand ready to strike when he stopped. He felt like his entire body became frozen. He felt something struggling to break out of him..

"What's going on?" Kairi gasped in surprise.

"Im-impossible!" Ansem stuttered in shock. "I'm in control. There's no way the brat could be doing this."

The three looked on as a glowing image appeared in front of him. As the image became more clear, the group gasped upon who they saw. It was Riku and he was struggling against Ansem. He looked to see the trio looking at him.

"No! I won't let you use me for this anymore!" Riku struggled.

"Riku!" Kairi cried. "You're alive!"

"Listen, I'm using my last bit of strength to tell you something." Riku said, straining against the dark forces.

"S-stay out of this, boy!" Ansem snarled at Riku.

"Put a sock in it old man!" Riku snapped at Ansem. He then turned to Kairi, Luigi, and Yoshi. "You three got to get out of here! The heartless are coming!"

"Likely story." Luigi said. At the moment, he couldn't even trust the silvered haired boy for everything that he's done. "Next thing you know you'll say my shoes are untied."

"I'm sorry for everything." Riku said with sorrow. "I should have never listen to this old nut in the first place. Please, don't meet the same fate. The heartless are growing stronger and they'll come after you three."

Kairi knew that Riku betrayed them at first, but looking past the evil Kairi could see the Riku she knew ever since she was young. She knew that Riku was sorry for everything and was ready to make it up.

"Guys, it's time we leave this place." Kairi told Luigi and Yoshi.

"Kairi sure?" Yoshi asked.

"Are you nuts?" Luigi exclaimed.

Kairi then turned back to Riku and said, "I believe him. I can see the forgiveness in his eyes. He's sorry for what he's done and maybe we should give him a second chance."

Sighing, Luigi put his hands in his pockets.

"If you believe him then I guess I have no choose." Luigi said. He then shouted out. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Kairi and the others ran for it while Ansem weakly groaned.

"Fools, stop them! Don't let them escape!" Ansem cried.

A group of shadows appeared in front of Ansem and ran off after the three. One lone shadow however was curiously looking around the room. He then took off in a separate direction from the others. The heartless walked down the stairs and walked throughout the castle. He looked around at all the sights of the entire castle of darkness. He also noticed his fellow heartless hanging around the area. He then walked up to one and spoke in a silent Langue only heartless could understand.

The shield heartless he talked to pointed him in another direction towards the main hallway. The shadow took off as fast as he could trying to get somewhere. Kairi, Luigi, and Yoshi arrived back in the main hallway were was when Sora first faced him. Luigi and Yoshi ran down the stairs, but turned to notice Kairi was standing up stairs still.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Luigi asked, calling to Kairi. "We need to get out of here right now!"

"But the other princess are still in danger!" Kairi called back. "I can't leave them!"

"Listen, we have no time!" Luigi said. "I'm sure Fox is helping them! Come on!"

Kairi nodded and joined the two friends. Yoshi turned around to notice a single heartless appearing upstairs.

"A heartless chasing us." Yoshi said, pointing at it. "What we do?"

"Leave him to me." Luigi said, cracking his knuckles. "Bring it on!"

The heartless jumped down and ran at Luigi. The plumber threw a hard punch at it, sending it flying across the room. Luigi then shot fire at it and it jumped out of the way. The heartless then jumped on top of Luigi's head and Luigi knocked it off. He then hit it on the head with the sucking part of the P3000.

"Heartless beating Luigi." Yoshi giggled.

"A weak little thing like this?" Luigi scoffed. "Dream on, kid. But he is driving me crazy!"

Kairi looked at the heartless which looked at her. She could sense something different about this one, it wasn't attacking her. She could feel something familiar about this one. She looked insider the creatures eyes and could see that his eyes were blue and had that innocent look.

"Sora?" she said softly. "Is that you?"

"Huh?" Yoshi asked in complete confusion.

"Okay, you're starting to scare me now." Luigi quivered at Kairi. "You obviously have Sora on the brain. Having your heart restored must have had some funny side effects."

"No!" Kairi disagreed. "I can feel him. Sora wouldn't attack me."

"And what am I chopped liver?" Luigi asked disappointed.

"Mmm, liver sound good." Yoshi said, smacking his lips together.

Kairi slowly put her hand on the heartless's head and stroke it gently. It didn't even try to fight, it took the strokes and nudged her leg with it's face. Luigi and Yoshi's mouths dropped wide open upon seeing this happen. They never saw a nice heartless before. Kairi smiled warmly as she continued to pet the heartless.

"It is you." she said warmly. "I knew you were okay."

All of a sudden, the other heartless appeared around them. They group gasped at seeing this.

"Oh, great!" Luigi groaned. "Why now?"

The two ran off in separate directions and began battling the heartless. Yoshi knocked some away with his tail while Luigi sucked some up with the P3000. One tried to attack Kairi but the good heartless jumped in front of the attack and took the hit. Kairi gasped as it fell over and weakly stood up. The girl ran in front of the heartless and put her arms out.

"It's okay." Kairi said to the heartless. "This time, I'll protect you. I won't let them hurt you."

A gang of heartless slowly circled around the two, stalking it like pray. Kairi knew she was going to expect the worst from the heartless and she was ready to give up her life to save Sora's. The heartless then jumped into the air and Kairi turned around and embraced her heartless, completely frightened. The evil creatures towered over her and began to devour them both. Luigi and Yoshi just finished off a group of heartless when they turned to see the heartless piling on top of Kairi.

"Oh, no!" Luigi cried.

"Kairi, hang on!" Yoshi cried. "Luigi and Yoshi coming!"

The duo quickly ran over to help Kairi, knocking any heartless out of their way as they went. The two were about to attack when a powerful light knocked the two and the heartless away. The light was so bright that it blinded them for a minute. As the light dimmed down, the two opened their eyes slowly and looked to see if Kairi was okay. Their faces lit up with extreme happiness upon seeing Kairi because she wasn't the only one there.

Kairi's eyes were still closed as she felt someone wrapping his arms around her. Kairi recognized the feeling right there and then. She started crying, as she was filled with mixed emotions. She then heard the mouth move to her ear and whispered with a familiar voice.

"Kairi, thank you." the voice whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked to see Sora smiling at her. She took her hand and lightly tapped it on his face and rubbed it slowly.

"Sora?" Kairi whispered. "Is it really you?"

"Hey, who else can has the spiky brown hair?" Sora said with his goofy smile.

Kairi hugged Sora again and started to cry in his arms. Sora blushed bright red and hugged her back. This is the first time in ages that he really felt close to Kairi.

"Oh, Sora! It is you!" Kairi cried. "I knew you were alive!"

Sora rested his head on Kairi's shoulder and smiled, "You didn't think I'd leave did ya?"

She then broke away from his arms and giggled at him.

"Of course not!" Kairi giggled. "No lazy bum could be that stupid."

Sora rolled his eyes and sighed, "Good old Kairi."

"SORA!" cried Luigi and Yoshi.

He then turned to see his two friends joining him. Yoshi ran way faster then Luigi and was ready to pounce him as he jumped into the air.

"Oh, no!" Sora said. Yoshi tackled Sora down and rapidly licked his face clean. He laughed uncontrollably. "Yoshi! Stop it! That tickles! I give up! Have mercy!" He then was able to get the dinosaur off him. "I'm glad to see you too."

Luigi then grabbed Sora by the shirt collar and shouted at him, "You stupid brat! Don't you ever do something like that again!" Tears then streamed down his face. "Of course, I knew you were okay. I was being supportive to Kairi and Yoshi the whole time and remained cool."

The kids rolled their eyes with a chuckle and Luigi finally calmed down. The four stood up and were glad to be together again. Sora then walked over to Kairi.

"Man, I have so many things to tell you." Sora said to Kairi. "It's been a real hassle here."

"A hassle in the castle." Luigi joked. "Get it? Hassle? Castle? Ha! Ha!" Nobody said a word. "You guys are no fun."

"So do I but..." Kairi began. She then gasped in horror. "Sora, behind you!"

Sora turned to see a shadow charging at them. Sora slashed the heartless aside with his keyblade and got into battle position in front of Kairi. Luigi and Yoshi joined Sora and formed a circle around Kairi to protect her.

"Guys, we've got to keep the heartless away from Kairi!" Sora instructed. "Watch your backs!"

Luigi and Yoshi felt happy to have their fearless leader back with them. Although he was the second oldest of the trio, he's shown strong leadership skills. Luigi would have just ran off like a big coward, but Sora wasn't afraid and was focused on his goal. The group then heard Fox fighting heartless with grunts and battle cries and turned to see him enter. Fox jumped into the air and blasted the heartless in front of him with his laser gun. He then landed behind Sora.

"I'm glad to see you four are alright." Fox smiled. He then ducked under a heartless attacking him. "Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

"Then come with us!" Sora offered. "I won't leave you here alone!"

"Kid, I'm an adult." Fox pointed out. "I can take care of myself. Krystal is still here and I won't leave without her. The heartless are getting stronger every second and I'm not putting you at risk!"

"But..."

"I SAID GO!" Fox shouted.

Sora nodded to Fox and gestured his group to leave. The four quickly ran out of the castle as fast as they could. They then turned to see an army of heartless following them. Luigi and the kids ran for their lives as they ran down the stairs and pressed the spike switch which made the platform appear. They took it and arrived back at the rising falls.

The group made their way down the rising falls and saw a green warp pipe above them.

"This should take us to the exit!" Luigi said. "Hurry up!"

The group ran like lightning to the ship and didn't stop for a minute to breath. They finally made it and the pipe quickly sucked them up, back into the Toad Express. They arrived back into the passenger area where Toadsworth anxiously awaited their arrival. Kairi looked around the plane in amazement as she has never seen anything luxurious as this before. She noticed the red soft chairs around the room and the giant T.V. screen in the corner.

Sora quickly went to the cockpit to where Tails was.

"Quick!" Sora cried. "Back to Isle Delfino and step on it!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Tails said, saluting Sora.

Tails quickly started up the engines and blasted off into space. Sora returned back into the passenger room to where Kairi and the others were waiting for him. The four then sat back in their seats, exhausted from everything that happened.

"Crazy calzone!" Luigi sighed. "What a day!"

"Sure has been." Yoshi said.

Sora turned to Kairi who smiled at him. Sora then smiled at her back.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi." Sora said happily. "I missed you so much."

"You too, Sora." Kairi smiled. "I'm just dying to hear everything that happened." She then turned to Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth. "And who are they?"

"The tall skinny gent with the overalls is Luigi." Sora said, introducing his friends.

Luigi then took Kairi's hand and took off his hat, "A pleasure to meet such a magnificio cucciolo signora." He then kissed the back of her hand causing her to giggle. "And I can make you laugh with my amazing jokes."

"I don't know." Kairi chuckled. "That pun back there wasn't very good."

Luigi groaned, "Oh, yeah? Listen to this. Okay, so two toads walk into a bar right? I mean literary! Get it, metal bar?"

"Wow, his jokes do stink." Kairi said rolling her eyes.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi sighed sadly. "I'll never hit it big."

"And I Yoshi." Yoshi said, stepping forward.

Kairi pet Yoshi's head with widened eyes, "Aw, you're so cute."

Yoshi blushed as he took the strokes from Kairi.

"And I'm Toadsworth." Toadsworth said. "Pleasure to meet you mistress Kairi."

"Mistress?" Kairi blinked with confusion.

"I have no idea why he does that." Sora said. "Must be a habit."

Sora sat down in his chair and began to tell Kairi his fantastic adventure throughout each world. Kairi was amazed of the incredible places he described. He told them about his friends from Ash to Sonic and told them the epic battles they've faced. Sora went on for what seemed like hours, but was only ten minutes. The group finally began to make their way towards Isle Delfino, knowing they were in the clear, but the threat was still alive.


	29. Fighting for a Friend

**Chapter XXVIII: Fighting for a Friend.**

Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Kairi prepared for departure as they arrived in the atmosphere of Isle Delfino. Kairi looked out the window and was amazed at the island she saw.

"Sora!" she cried excitedly. "This place is amazing!"

Sora looked out his window and smiled, "It's a beautiful island. Sometimes it reminds me of home."

Kairi then turned to Sora with a depressed look, "Is it true? Our home was destroyed?"

"I'm sorry, Kairi." Sora sighed sadly. "If only I sealed the key..."

Kairi walked over and took Sora's hands with a giggle, "It's okay, silly. As long as we have each other it doesn't matter." Sora blushed bright red. "You're blushing!"

"I-I'm not blushing." Sora objected. "I have sunburn?"

Kairi giggled again, "One thing you've always been good at was being a terrible liar."

"Guilty as charged." Sora said with his famous smile.

The two slowly move their heads towards each other. Both of them were a bit nervous, but were ready to do what they were about to do. They were about to tilt their heads to each side when they stopped and turned to notice Luigi and Yoshi watching them. Luigi was eating a bag of popcorn while Yoshi was sighing feeling happy for the two.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupting something?" Luigi teased.

"Sure did." Sora mumbled.

"Aw." Yoshi said. "Don't mind Yoshi."

Kairi giggled again and blushed. Sora also blushed and then made an evil glare at his friends. The group then heard Tails on the intercom.

"Guys, where do you want me to land this baby?" Tails asked.

"Take us to Pinna Park." Sora instructed.

"Roger!" called the fox over the intercom.

The Toad Express slowly made it's way towards the amusement park. Sora sat back in his seat and remembered what happened to Riku. His heart sank as he knew his friend was lost in the darkness. He then looked down and saw Yoshi smiling at him. Sora smiled back and petted his friend's head. Yoshi jumped into his arms and licked his face, trying to make him feel better.

The plane finally landed outside of Pinna Park and the foursome exited. As they left, Kairi was astounded by something.

"Sora?" Kairi asked her friend. "Was that a fox that just drove us here?"

"I was in shock too." Sora responded. "I mean I never expected to meet such interesting characters." He then eyed Luigi. "Like the word's klutziest person."

"Hey, I'm not a klutz!" Luigi snapped. He then ran into a palm tree and a coconut landed on his head. "Okay, so I'm a klutz on a rare occasion."

"Rare occasion?" Yoshi asked. "But Luigi always fall down the stairs, run into a wall, trip over..."

"Shh!" Luigi shushed.

Kairi and Sora both started laughing as Luigi put his hand over Yoshi's mouth. The four continued walking through the theme park. Kairi was amazed at all the rides she was.

"Hey, maybe later we should go on a ride." Kairi said. "It would be fun."

"Yeah, you two could go on the tunnel of love." Luigi teased.

Kairi and Sora both started blushing again and Yoshi giggled to himself. Sora put his arm around Luigi and began choking him.

"Ha! Ha! You're such a kidder." Sora laughed, sarcastically.

"Let...me...go!" Luigi said with his last bit of breath. Sora then released his grip and Luigi gasped for air. "Strong kid."

Deciding not to make anymore comments about Sora and Kairi's crush, Luigi said nothing for the rest of the way until the gang arrived at the home base for Leon and the others. Sora knocked on the door and Yuffie answered it.

"Hey, guys!" Yuffie said, greeting the group. "Glad to see you again." She then noticed Kairi. "Oh, is this a friend of yours?"

"Hi, I'm Kairi." Kairi said, introducing herself.

"Oh, so your Kairi." Yuffie said in realization. "Sora once mistakes me for you and hugged me."

Kairi then made an evil glare at Sora, "You did what?"

"I-I thought it was you." Sora said innocently. "Honest!" He then noticed Kairi smirking at him. "Hey, you were kidding, weren't you?"

"Hello, Sora." called Leon. The group looked inside to see Leon and Aerith approaching them. "Cid told me the path you were going was dangerous. I'm glad you made it out alright." He then gasped as he looked behind Sora. "Behind you!"

Sora quickly turned to see tons of heartless appear before them.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "I've never seen that many!"

"And how many times are you going to say?" Luigi groaned.

"Quickly, inside everyone!" Leon instructed.

Everyone quickly ran into the house and slammed the door behind them. The group ran into the living area and sat down to catch their breath.

"Surprising Spaghetti!" Luigi gasped. "There were so many!"

"Not only that." Kairi added. "But they looked stronger then before."

"Guys, I think it's our fault." Sora postulated. "We left the keyhole unlocked."

"That's your fault!" Luigi countered. "I'm not the one who stabbed myself!"

"Hey, I would have been dead if you didn't help." Sora argued. "So this is your fault as well."

"No!" Luigi argued back. "I've always been a good egg!"

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked Luigi, raising her eyebrow.

"Everyone settle down!" Leon said, trying to break up the argument. He then turned to Sora. "Tell me what happened. Then maybe we could figure out what went wrong."

Sora told everyone what happened. From his fight with Riku to changing into a heartless. Sora tried not to leave out any details and Luigi and Yoshi helped tell the story as well.

"And then, with Sora down for the count I bravely jumped in and single handedly defeated that madman." Luigi boasted.

"But wasn't Luigi the one who got knocked aside effortlessly?" Yoshi asked.

Luigi tried to shush Yoshi but everyone started laughing. After that, Sora finished his story and Leon leaned against a wall and crossed his arm.

"I'm not surprised about Ansem." Leon said. "As a boy I remember the crazy things he did."

"Experimenting on people's hearts." Aerith added with disgust. "What kind of ruler would do that to his own people?"

"He led a cold and lonely life." Leon continued, turning away from everyone. "Even now I can't believe the great lengths he's gone to just get total power. By abducting seven young ladies and possessing a boy's body." Trying to put the past behind him he turned back to Sora. "At this moment due to the keyhole remaining unlocked, the darkness will flow out of it."

"Of course!" Yuffie gasped. "That's why the heartless are stronger and have multiplied!"

"Then we got to seal the keyhole!" Sora concluded. "It's the only way to stop them!"

"Possibly." Leon nodded. He then walked to the center of the room "However, it's risky because at this point no one knows what will happen when the keyhole is sealed. It could be life threatening."

"He's right." Luigi agreed. "Maybe we should play it safe and..."

"No, Luigi!" Sora shouted, standing up. He knew that Riku was still there and he wasn't going to let this keyhole or Ansem for that matter stop him. "Listen, I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing about this! Riku is still back there and a friend never leaves a friend behind!" Tears began streaming down his face. "He's my best friend! I can't let him suffer! I'm sick and tired of the heartless hurting these innocent people." He wiped his tears away and Kairi put her arms around him.

"Calm down." Leon said softly. "I'm not forcing you too. It's your choice to go or not. You still have one more friend to worry about." He then turned to Sora. "I figure that Riku's keyblade must have been born from the captive princesses' hearts just like the keyhole you saw." He then looked to Kairi. "But since Kairi's heart wasn't present, it remained incomplete. Now that the keyblade is destroyed, the others should be free." He then walked over to Sora and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry. I know of one person that can save Riku and the world now and I'm looking at him. Are you up to this task?"

Sora knew that he was far from done. In order to maintain piece, he needed to seal the keyhole. He looked at all of his friends who gave him support. He knew they had his back throughout his entire venture. It was a little hard to except the fact that he was the savior now and everyone was depending on him. But he knew that he couldn't give up now. He may have gotten Kairi back, but he wouldn't be satisfied until the entire world and Riku were saved.

"You can count on me." Sora said.

Everyone else cheered as Sora finished those words. Luigi and Yoshi walked up to him and smiled.

"And we'll still be by your side kid." Luigi smiled.

"All for one and one for all!" Yoshi cheered.

"We should go see Cid." Sora said. "I think we may have a problem getting back to Hallow Bastion."

"I agree." nodded Aerith. "The road back to the castle may not be easy."

"Kairi, at this moment I would like you to remain here with me." Leon told the red-head. "You're in grave danger from the heartless."

Kairi frowned, "But will I be able to see..."

"Don't worry." Sora smiled with reassurance. "I promise to see you later. We'll meet at the hotel."

Kairi nodded and Sora blushed at her. Luigi rolled his eyes and grabbed Sora's arm.

"Come on, Romeo!" Luigi groaned. "We have work to do."

The trio left the area and began to head back to the island. On the way, the heartless attacked them. The group were in shock to see heartless they've encountered from other worlds show up. The shield heartless knocked Sora back, causing him to crash into the ground. Sora got back up and jumped over it and slashed it aside. A group of shadows tackled him but Luigi used a thunder spell to knock them off.

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate some. He then used them as eggs and threw them at other heartless. The group had a much harder time dealing with the rest of them until Sora called in Marth. The legendary Swordsmen used his sword to break through the hard metal of the shield heartless. He then charged up his sword which caused him to glow. As the heartless jumped at him, he released the grip and knocked all of the heartless away.

Sora then finished if off with a Sonic Blade attack. The trio quickly ran back to the warp pipe to Delfino Plaza. They then stopped to remember that they found another summon gem. Luigi then knew that they had to go back to Wiseman's house and slowly backed away.

"O-oh, no!" Luigi gulped. "I'm not going back to that madhouse!"

"Luigi!" Sora snapped. "For shame on you! Don't you care about that summon's life?"

"Of course I do kid." Luigi responded. "But do you realize how much I have to go through with those two nut jobs?"

"Oh, come on!" Sora reassured. "They're nice."

"Kid, how would you like to be turned into a frog?" Luigi said. "Or listen to the snoring or dealing with bad B.O. or..."

"Okay, okay, they have their faults." Sora groaned, rolling his eyes. "But they're still nice people."

"Well, you and Yoshi can go over there, but I am staying here." Luigi said, crossing his arms.

"But, shouldn't Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi go together?" Yoshi asked.

"Come on, Yoshi." Sora told Yoshi. "Let Luigi be."

"But...but..."

Sora then whispered in his ear, "Think of this as payback for him tricking you into the water."

Yoshi smirked at Sora turned to Luigi, "Okay, Sora and Yoshi go while Luigi stay all alone."

"Ha!" Luigi laughed. "You think you can fool me with that old trick? Think again my friend."

"Don't worry Yoshi." Sora said to Yoshi. "I'm sure he can handle getting eaten by a heartless."

Luigi began to get nervous upon hearing that. He felt weak in his knees and began trembling in fear as the two walked towards the Japanese house. He then heard a cracking noise and he jumped in fear.

"Okay, everything is cool." Luigi gulped nervously. He tried to reassure himself that everything was okay. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

Sora and Yoshi stopped more then half way towards the house and Sora bent over to Yoshi and looked at his watch.

"Five...Four...Three.." Sora began to count down.

Luigi then ran pass the two screaming, "Don't-a-leave me here!"

"That's odd." Sora said, shaking his watch. "My watch must be a few seconds off."

Yoshi giggled as they rejoined Luigi. Sora knocked on the door and Wiseman answered it.

"Oh, hello my friends." Wiseman said, greeting the trio. "Glad to see you three again."

"Hey, Wiseman." Sora smiled. He then made a guilty look. "We're still sorry about..."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Wiseman chortled. "Forget about it, Sora. Nothing Impact couldn't handle. He is such a dependable robot. Please come in."

The trio walked into the room and sat down at the table. Wiseman noticed that the trio were famished from their long journey and made them something to eat. He was able to forgive Sora's group for the damage caused earlier. Sora explained everything that happened to Wiseman after they left.

"So, the keyhole is still unlocked." Sora finished. "And we need to get back there."

"Well, I'm sure Cid can make that arrangement for you my friends." Wiseman said. "But I'm sure there is a reason you're here."

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi find summon gem." Yoshi nodded.

Sora handed the gem to Wiseman and the elder looked at it. He felt some familiar energy waves coming from the gem. It's as though the gem came from the same world as another person he knew. It then hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I don't know why, but I think whoever is in here came from Mumbo's world." Wiseman predicted. "Mumbo, come here a second!"

Mumbo Jumbo walked out with bubbles surrounding him. He also had a red towel around his waist and was holding a rubber duck. Luigi snickered at seeing the Tiki man holding a rubber duck.

"Rubber Ducky you're the one." Luigi sang in a goofy voice. "You make bath time lots of fun."

"Har! Har! Har!" Mumbo laughed. "Mumbo not afraid to admit that he take bubble bath with rubber duck." He then squeaked it. "So, Mumbo no offend by plumber's joke."

"At least it's not as bad as Luigi sleeping with his stuffed..." Sora began.

"I dare you to finish that sentence!" Luigi threatened.

Sora then shut right up. Mumbo turned his attention to Wiseman.

"Why did Wiseman call Mumbo?" Mumbo asked.

"Please take a look at this summon gem." Wiseman said, handing the gem to Mumbo.

Mumbo looked at the summon gem and examined it. He then gasped at it in fear.

"Oh, no!" Mumbo cried. "Mumbo not releasing this one! No way! Not no how!"

"Is there something wrong with that gem?" Luigi asked curiously. "Is it evil?"

"Well...to a certain degree." Mumbo explain. "This feather head is good, but is annoying."

"You know the summon then." Sora assumed. "Then you've got to let it out. It can't stay in there forever, especially if it's your friend."

"Is boy crazy?" Mumbo gasped in surprised. "Mumbo can't stand sight of her!"

"Let her out anyways." Wiseman said. "It would be better if she was out and about and not stuck in..."

"No! Mumbo refuse!" Mumbo interrupted, stubbornly.

"Your worse then Luigi!" Sora said angrily. "Can't you at least show some compassion?"

"Hey!" shouted Luigi.

Mumbo sighed sadly, "Very well. Even Mumbo have heart."

The Tiki man grabbed his staff and used his magic to release the summon gem. It began glowing a mixture of red and yellow which was beautiful. Sora sent Luigi and Yoshi into the summon gem and who came out of it astonished the fourteen-year old boy. It was a beautiful big bird with red feathers, red wings with yellow tips at the edge. She also had a yellow beak, long yellow legs, and green eyes. She looked around the room in confusion at her new surroundings. This was something completely new to her.

"Okay, is someone pulling a prank on me?" she squawked. "I remembered fighting with Banjo against those ugly creatures and then I end up in a broken down dump like this."

"Excuse me?" Wiseman asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, really." she continued. "I mean the walls look all beaten up."

Wiseman then gave an evil glare at Sora.

"Hey, I thought you were over that!" Sora gasped in surprise.

"She just reminded me of the damage you did." Wiseman responded.

She then noticed Mumbo, "Well, well, well, if it isn't skull boy. Just when I thought I could escape the wrath of a certain mole with funny glasses, I run into the skull head with very little brain."

"Watch it, bird!" Mumbo snarled at her. "Or Mumbo tar and feather you."

"That's why you're the skull head with very little brain." the bird said. "I'm already feathered, stupid!"

"Stupid?" Mumbo gasped, appalled. "The only one stupid here is a bird who can't even define word."

"Shut up!" the bird squawked angrily. She tried to attack Mumbo, but Wiseman stopped the argument. "Let me go gramps! I'll crack that large skull of his!"

"Please, calm down." Wiseman said, trying to break up the fight. "I know you have a lot against my roommate, but you should be lucky to be alive." He then looked at Sora. "This young man risked his life to save you."

Although from the looks of her, Sora could tell she was cranky, he tried to remain friendly and pet the bird's head.

"My name's Sora." Sora smiled. "I think I better explain why you're here."

The bird continued to take Sora's strokes and enjoyed it, "While you tell me, don't stop petting me kid."

"Okay." Sora said, rolling his eyes. "You see your world was destroyed by a group of creatures called the heartless."

"What?" the bird squawked in surprise. "My world was destroyed?" Sora nodded and the bird began crying. "Oh, no! Banjo is gone! And who will I make fun of without Bottles boy around?"

"Erm..." Sora began, slightly confused. "Look, it's okay. You have been chosen to help me stop those guys that destroyed your home. Maybe we can even restore your world!"

"For real?" the bird asked with hope. Sora nodded and the bird chirped with joy. "Then I'll help you out, Sora. You may not be Banjo or wear a backpack, but I can deal with that. I'm Kazooie, winged goddess of the skies."

"More like wing goddess of the flies." Mumbo snicked.

"Hey, ever seen stars before?" Kazooie hissed at the Tiki man. "And I'm not talking about the ones you see on T.V. or the ones in the sky. I'm talking about the ones your going to see when I wack that skull head of yours."

"Bring it on!" Mumbo challenged.

Kazooie flew into the air and shot blue eggs at Mumbo from her mouth. The skull man dodged the attacks and fired magic fire spells at Kazooie. She dodged the attack and it hit the wall, which burnt the ceiling. Wiseman screamed upon seeing this. Mumbo continued firing more spell at Kazooie which she dodged by tilting like an airplane. The spells kept hitting the ceiling, causing ruble to break down.

Sora and Wiseman took cover under the table in the middle of the room as the war continued. Kazooie shot grenade eggs at Mumbo which he used a magic shield to block it. Kazooie then swooped down and tripped him with her wing.

"Have a nice trip!" she cried. She then flew back up and flew down like an airplane. Mumbo tried running, but Kazooie did a quick peck with her beak, knocking him down. "See you next fall!"

Kazooie flew back into the air and spun her body at Mumbo like a drill. She then flew down and drilled her beak at Mumbo, spinning and knocking him out. Kazooie flew back onto the table and a made a proud look. Mumbo looked weakly up at the bird and groaned.

"Ugh!" he groaned, holding his head. "Mumbo see stars."

"Ha!" Kazooie laughed. "Don't ever mess with this bird, bonehead! She'll knock you out!"

Sora and Wiseman both came out from under the table in shock. Sora was happy to have a powerful summon, but Wiseman was furious as he looked around his house to see rubble all over it. The ceiling was messed up yet again. He pulled his hair out and screamed.

"I'm going to roast and stuff that bird!" Wiseman yelled, trying to attack Kazooie. Sora quickly held him back. "I should have my head examined for letting her out!"

"Please, it's no big deal." Sora said, holding Wiseman back. "Can't you just get Impact to clean up the mess?"

All of a sudden the two turned to see the door fall down and Parakarry flew up to it.

"Um, mail call." Parakarry said, slightly confused. "What happen to your house?"

"Long story." Wiseman groaned. "Do you have anything for me?"

"A letter from someone named Impact." Parakarry responded, looking at a letter he pulled out.

Wiseman read the letter and gasped in horror, "What do you mean he's gone on strike? Tired from all the damage he fixed?"

"Sir, I just deliver the letters." Parakarry explained. "I don't get involved in conflicts." Wiseman then ripped the paper in half causing the parakoopa to gulp in fear. "I-I think I hear a Fedex truck calling me. Bye!"

Wiseman went into the draw and got out a giant hammer. Kazooie gulped nervously and jumped onto Sora's shoulders.

"Sora, you have three seconds to get out of here with that feather head!" Wiseman shouted. "Before I lose my mind! And stop by anytime for magic lessons!"

"Uh, sure." Sora said.

"Kid, let's move!" Kazooie cried.

Sora quickly ran out of the house with Kazooie on his shoulder. Wiseman began screaming and started banging on the ground with the hammer. Mumbo hid under the table as Wiseman went crazy, wrecking his entire house. Finally, after wrecking his house he dropped the hammer and sighed.

"Okay, I feel better now." Wiseman sighed. He then grabbed a mop and began wiping the floor. "Come on, Mumbo! I need a hand!"

Mumbo groaned and grabbed a mop, "Wiseman going to switch to decaffeinated coffee . Mumbo getting too old for this."

Meanwhile, Sora and Kazooie arrived back in Delfino harbor, away from the insanity. Kazooie flew off Sora's shoulders and landed on the ground.

"Maybe Luigi was right." Sora sighed. "It is like an insane house."

"Kid, that can't compare to what I have to put up with back home." Kazooie said. "Trying dealing with a witch that rhymes all time or being bothered by a mole."

"I know how you feel." Sora chuckled. "Trying putting up with Wakka blabbing all day long." He then smiled. "From that battle with Mumbo you proved to be a good summon. I know you'll be a great help."

"Aw, thanks Sora." she blushed. "I like you even if you are an oddly dressed, big-footed weirdo."

"What did you say?" Sora asked suspiciously.

Kazooie gulped nervously and then noticed she was fading, "Oh, look at that, my time is up. Well, we've got to do this again sometime. See you later!"

Kazooie returned to her summon gem and his friends returned. Sora explained everything that happened while they were in the summon gem. Luigi just rolled eyes saying, "I told you so."

The trio next headed over to the harbor were Louie and Olimar saw them and eagerly ran up to then.

"Hello, Sora." Olimar said, greeting the boy. "Did you happen to find any more Pikmin on your travels? You know we're running out of time." He then pulled out a long list which extended about four feet long. "I've already wrote my will and everything."

"No need." Sora said. "We found the remaining Pikmin."

Olimar and Louie gasped in excitement as Sora released the remaining Pikmin. They then began to work right away on the ship. The Pikmin used their hands to help each other move the pieces onto the ship. They then used special material from their bodies to finally put the ship back together. Olimar and Louie hugged each other with excitement and began crying with joy.

"Oh, Louie!" Olimar cried. "I'm so happy that I could kiss you!"

He then bonked his helmet into Louie's helmet and the two felt the loud knocking sound, causing their heads to spin.

"Please, don't do that again, sir." Louie groaned

"Indeed, Louie." Olimar nodded. He then turned to Sora and shook his hand. "I can't possibly thank you three gents enough for all you've done. Now we can go home! I'm just amazed that you three risked your necks to help us."

"Hey, I'm a plumber." Luigi laughed proudly. "Our job is to please our clients. Whether it's cleaning a toilet or help to repair a ship."

Sora smiled, "We're going to miss you guys."

The Pikmin surrounded everyone and looked at Sora's group. Luigi felt a bit freaked out by them, but Sora and Yoshi knew they did the right thing. Sora rubbed his head and smiled at the Pikmin who all jumped up and down for them. Olimar turned to Louie and nodded. Louie left and helped get the Pikmin into the rocket. Sora was amazed that all of those Pikmin were able to fit into that one ship. Louie returned outside with a brown bag.

"Young man, for all of your hard work in finding the Pikmin and saving our lives, I reward you with this." Louie said, proudly presenting the bag.

Sora opened the bag and saw a bunch of items. One of which was a crystal to update magic spells. He used it and his Aero spell got updated to it's final form. They also received useful items for the Toad Express. Louie and Olimar both shook everyone's hands and got ready.

"Again, thank you Sora." Olimar said. He then began to cry. "You're the greatest kid I ever met."

Louie then groaned and pushed the crying captain onto the ship.

"Did Olimar forget pills?" Yoshi asked Louie.

"No, he can be a bit emotional." Louie said. "Farewell, my friends."

The two men boarded the ship and Olimar started the engine. Sora's group watched as the ship began to lift into the sky. The two men and a group of Pikmin looked out the window and waved good-bye to their new friends. Sora's group waved back as the ship took off into space. Sora remembered the first day he met Captain Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin. He was going to miss them, but was happy to see they were finally heading home. Luigi smiled and turned to Sora.

"Don't worry." Luigi smiled. "We'll meet them again."

The trio left and headed over to Cid who was reading a comic book.

"Aw, man, those Peanuts kids crack me up every time." Cid laughed. "I especially love when Lucy takes the ball away from Charlie Brown." He then looked up to notice Sora's group. "Well, if it isn't my favorite customers; Huey, Dewey, Louie. What brings you fellas by?"

"Cid, we need to get back to Hallow Bastion." Sora said. "Could you..."

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that." Cid interrupted. "If you go back that same route, you'll get your hides beat like it was going out of style." Sora raised his eyebrow at Cid. "It's been a long day."

"Look, we need to get back there!" Luigi said angrily. "We're not going to stand here and..."

"Hold your horses!" Cid interrupted. "I swear you three don't know when to SHUT UP!" The three made disappointed looks at him. "Sorry. However, there is a simple solution to your dilemma. Instead of going through that rough wave, you should go around them."

"Wow!" Luigi said baffled. "I can't believe it's just that easy."

"It's not rocket science to figure out routes." Cid said. "However, you'll need a new navigation piece. And before you three jump to conclusions, that piece is here in town."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm the one that hid it away here." Cid explained. He then turned away from the group. "When we first came to this world, I knew that someday we would return home. Sometimes we can't escape the scent of where we came from. I knew that maybe one day we may have needed to return to our home world. So, I hid the navigation piece in a secret location, so that nobody would steal it. Since you are doing this to save our hides, I can install the piece to your ship."

"Where do we find it?" Sora asked.

"I believe you three went to Leon's secret training ground before, right?" Cid asked. Sora's group nodded. "There's a panel in there of a sun and moon. Hidden inside is a navigation piece. Bring it back and I'll have it installed."

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi left the harbor and headed towards the round panel at the center of town. On the way the heartless attacked as always. Sora used a few new moves on them such as Arc Arcanum and trinity limit which combined the power of Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi and created a massive lightning attack that destroyed all heartless. The group made their way over to the panel. Sora decided to go alone because he didn't want to deal with Yoshi being afraid of the water.

Inside, Sora swam through the secret area and arrived at the training ground. He looked to his left and noticed the secret panel. He walked up to it and looked up at the beautiful picture he saw. It reminded him of what some of the famous artists he read in books drew. He pressed his hand against the picture and it pushed in. He then noticed a secret compartment open below him. A small box appeared before him and when he opened it, he was the navigation piece. Smiling, he pocketed it and returned back outside and met up with Luigi and Yoshi.

The trio returned back to the harbor to not only see Cid, but to see Kairi talking to him. She then turned to notice the trio and ran up to them.

"Sora!" she cried. "I'm glad you're here! I've missed you!"

"And it's only been ten minutes?" Luigi said, looking at his watch.

"Hey, I haven't seen this lazy bum in a long while." Kairi snapped at Luigi.

"Okay, okay." Luigi cried. "Relax! Mama-mia!"

Sora walked up to Cid and handed him the piece, "Here, Cid."

"Ah, good job." Cid said, taking the piece. "Bad news is that the sunset has already come and it's close to nighttime. If I were you, I'd wait until tomorrow. Till then, I'll hang onto this baby."

"Okay, thanks." Sora nodded. Cid then took his leave to head home. Sora took Kairi's hands and made his famous smile. "Kairi! Come with me! I'd like to show you something!"

"Ooh, what it is?" an intrigued Kairi asked.

"You'll see." Sora replied. He then turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "Um, do you two mind? Kairi and I would like to be alone."

"Oh, alone, huh?" Luigi smirked, knowing what Sora was playing at. "Come on, Yoshi!"

The duo took there leave and Kairi giggled again. Sora took Kairi's hand and walked her to the edge of Delfino Beach, unaware that Luigi was secretly following them. Yoshi ran over to stop the plumber.

"What Luigi doing?" Yoshi gasped. "Sora wanted to be alone! Why Luigi meddling?"

"Oh, now you know the word." Luigi groaned. "I'm not meddling. I'm looking out for the kid. Make sure he doesn't look like a fool."

At first, Yoshi didn't believe Luigi, but then sighed and complied.

"Okay, but if Luigi and Yoshi get caught then it's..." Yoshi began.

"I know, I know." Luigi sighed, impatiently. "It's my fault"

The duo continued to follow the boy and girl to the beach, hiding behind buildings, market places and even hid under an islander's grass skirt. The islander kicked the duo out and they finally hit behind a giant palm tree. Sora and Kairi were sitting on the warm sand, looking at the sunset together. It was a magical moment as the two children sat together, finally reunited. They felt the warm breeze rush through their faces and could hear the gentle sounds of the waves.

Kairi rested her head on Sora's chest causing him to blush. The boy put his arm around the girl and smiled warmly. Kairi sighed as she looked out at the beautiful sunset and taking the gentle brushes to the her hair from Sora. She could also hear Sora's heart beat fast from her being so close. She could tell he was nervous and excited about being with her again. Luigi and Yoshi both looked on with oohs and suspended chuckles.

"Doesn't this remind you of home, Sora?" the girl asked the boy.

"Sure does." Sora responded in agreement. "The sunset reminds me of when the three of us would sit together."

Kairi didn't say anything else for a few minutes. Sora then heard her whisper something lightly under her breath.

"The light at the end of the tunnel." she whispered.

"Let me guess...your grandma's story?" Sora asked.

Kairi looked up at him and nodded, "It was beautiful, Sora. I'm glad you heard it too. I loved my grandma and we would always be together." She pulled away from the boy and stood up, putting her hands together and putting them behind her lower back. "That's all I remember."

"It's funny." Sora said standing up. "I looked everywhere for you. I searched high and low." He then put his head down and turned away from her. "Even I felt like giving up because I couldn't find you." Kairi put her arms around Sora's chest, making him feel better. "But in the end, you were with me all along. Your heart was with me, Kairi and we're now finally together again. Why did your heart enter my body?"

"Because my heart wanted to hitchhike." Kairi joked.

Sora laughed at the comment, "Ha! You could be funnier then Luigi!"

Luigi heard that and got mad, so mad that he threw his hat angrily away. He didn't realize that it had hit a beehive that was near by and it fell over. The bees angrily flew up and spotted the duo. Luigi and Yoshi noticed this and ran away in fear as the bees began to chase them. However, Sora and Kairi didn't know what was going on behind them.

"It's not over though." Sora said seriously. "Now, it's time to get Riku back."

Luigi and Yoshi ran by with the bees chasing them.

Kairi frowned, "Do you think anything will be the same between the three of us? Riku's lost his..."

"Don't think it like that." Sora warmly said. "Do you remember when I was a heartless?" Kairi nodded. "I was lost in the darkness. It was endless and I couldn't find my way out. As I stumbled through it, I began to forget everything. My friends, who I was, where I came from, it all began to leave me and it was about to consume me. But then I heard a voice and it was your voice. That's what saved me. You're the one who brought me back. You'd never let go of the fact that I still existed."

"How could I forget about you?" Kairi smiled. "You're my best friend, I couldn't possible forget the one who I always hung out with. When I first came to the island I was shy, but you showed me the path to making friends. I kept my heart connected to you."

"Of course!" Sora cried. "That's it!" He then put his hand on his chest. "Our hears are connected. The power of light from both of our hearts worked together and destroyed that darkness. When I heard your voice, I saw it with my own two eyes. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness is, a light can always shine through." He then turned to Kairi. "It's more then just a fairytale, it's a reality."

Kairi nodded, "Do Luigi and Yoshi give you that light too?"

"Not like you though." Sora smiled. "But then again, those two always have my back." He then made a wondered look. "I wonder what those two are up to anyways."

The swarm of bees flew by and Luigi and Yoshi chased after them, shrugging at each other.

"Probably being goofy." Kairi giggled. "So take me with you!"

"Hold up, Kairi!" Sora said, stopping the excited red head. "I'm sorry, but you can't come with me."

In the background, the bees and the duo came in, backwards from each side of the area and backed into each other. The groups slowly turned around and the duo screamed and ran off with the bees chasing them again.

"Is this because I'm a girl?" Kairi asked angrily.

"No!" Sora blushed embarrassed. "It's nothing like that! It's just too dangerous!"

Luigi and Yoshi walked in wearing those fake glasses with the giant noses. Yoshi had a moustache one because Luigi already had a real one. The bees flew by and stopped by the duo. They both pointed right and the bees flew off. Luigi and Yoshi then ran off in the opposite direction.

"Oh, come on, Sora." Kairi begged. "We've come this far by sticking together, right? You can't do it alone!"

"Look, if we're ever apart, we're not alone anymore, right?" Sora said warmly. "We have each other no matter what."

"So, I can't come?" Kairi said a little disappointed.

"You'd kind of get in my way." Sora chuckled nervously.

Kairi sighed, "Okay. You win this round, Sora."

Luigi and Yoshi walked back in and rested against the tree, catching their breath from the chase.

"I'm glad you understand." Sora smiled.

"But, there's something I want you to hold onto." she said, going through her pocket. Kairi pulled out a red star that had a smile on it and gave it to Sora. "This is my Oathkeeper keychain. It's my lucky charm, so don't let anyone have it and you have to bring it back to me, okay?"

"Don't worry, Kairi." Sora said with an Irish accent. "I won't let them get your lucky charms."

Kairi laughed out loud, "Sora!"

"Only fooling with you." Sora chuckled. "I promise."

Sora put the Oathkeeper in his pocket and Kairi warmly took his hands again. The two looked into each others eyes. Luigi and Yoshi were watching again with their mouths were wide open. They began to slowly make their way towards each other. Sora's heart rate raised and he could feel sweat dripping down his face. Kairi smiled at the boy and put her arm around him.

"Don't forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you." Kairi whispered.

Sora and Kairi began to bring their lips towards each other when they heard Yoshi sneeze. The two turned to see Luigi and Yoshi nervously looking at them. Sora got red in the face and took out his keyblade.

"Okay, you two have five seconds to start running!" Sora said.

"Wait, we just recovered from running!" Luigi panicked.

Yoshi began crying, "Luigi forced Yoshi to do it!"

"Quite!" snapped Luigi. Sora then ran towards the duo. "Have mercy!"

Sora chased Luigi and Yoshi around the island and Kairi fell in the sand, cracking up from seeing Sora getting so embarrassed that he was chasing the duo. Although Sora had escaped the darkness there was one person who was lost in there totally because of his own hatred and betrayal of his heart. He was in the darkness, lost, cold, and alone. He felt scared and at the same time felt like no one liked him anymore.

He felt like a fool. How could he have done this? They were his best friends. He felt like a broken person and had guilt that extended to the end of time. He looked down to see he was on a lone white path that extended into what appeared to be endless darkness. He put his head down, hiding his eyes with in his long silver hair.

"Oh, Sora. Oh, Kairi." Riku sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry." He got on his knees and looked up at the endless darkness. "I was wrong. If only I could change before it's too late." He walked down the path with his head hung and looked loss. "Could this be the world of death?" As he walked, he lightly flickers and shrugged it aside. It was like a fly, it didn't feel like a threat. He then stumbled as his body felt numb and a blue aura surrounded his body. "I'm not ready to disappear." The aura disappeared. "I just want to see them one last time."

"Hang in there, kiddo!" called a voice. Riku looked around the room as he heard the strange voice. He was became alert expecting something to happen. "I'll be-a-there soon."

Riku thought that the voice had an accent like Luigi's voice except this one wasn't feeble and yet it felt like a more comfortable and trusting voice.

"Who's there?" Riku demanded. "Show yourself!"

"It's okay." the voice responded warmly. "I'm-a-here to help you."

Riku tried to find the voice, but it felt like it was all around him. He also felt something else about this person, a power he once had.

"Sora?" Riku gasped in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Sorry, but Sora isn't-a-here." the voice said to his dismay.

"But I feel the keyblade!" Riku objected.

"That's-a-because there's another one." the voice responded. "This-a-one I got from this side." Riku was left confused. "You see, I've been-a-talking to you all along. Sadly, my words were-a-hindered by the darkness covering your heart."

"Listen, buddy, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you seem to have me figured out like a book." Riku said. "If you know about me, then what happened to me?"

"It's-a-like this..." the voice began. "Your heart was-a-successful in overcoming the darkness. Unfortunately, you-a-couldn't take back your body. So only your heart was left behind. In this darkside, the stolen hearts gather here."

"Is there anything I can do?" Riku asked the voice. "I just can't stand here in this eternal darkness forever."

"The time has-a-not come yet." the voice responded. "First, we must-a-wait for the door of darkness to appear. It has a power that can't let us cross to the other side of it. But in order to-a-close it, two keys and two hearts are required. I'm-a-not too sure what it fully meant, but the key must be the keyblade. Perhaps you-a-too, like me, come here to achieve this purpose. Maybe it's fate that brought us both here."

"Fate, huh?" Riku chuckled. "It sounds like you know everything about this."

"Hoo-hoo!" the voice laughed. "I'm not a philosopher, I'm-a-still learning about things. But there is much I know about our current situation."

Riku paused. He trusted this person even though he hasn't seen him yet. He felt that there was one more thing for him to accomplish.

"Answer this one more thing for me." Riku began. "Are Sora and Kairi safe? Did they escape?"

He was concerned. The true Riku finally returned and wanted to make sure his friends were out of harms way. He would not let them suffer anymore. Riku looked back at the blank sky. For a minute there was no response, but the voice then spoke up.

"That I can't answer." the voice responded. "You yourself should be able to-a-feel their hearts."

Riku could see Sora appear in his mind as he closed his eyes. His friend ran towards him with a big smile and laugh. Riku felt the connection between his two closest friends.

"I see..."

"How you-a-perceive your friends is dependant on your own heart." the voice continued.

Riku could feel Sora and Kairi were very close now. They smiled at him and ran off together. Riku then sighed with relief as he knew he found the answer. He looked up at the endless darkness and smiled at it.

"Thank you." Riku whispered.

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi had to leave bright and earlier so they could get back to Hallow Bastion. The trio along with Toadsworth headed to the Toad Express. Sending them off was Leon's group and Kairi.

"Be careful, kid." Cid told Sora. "I really wish you didn't have to go back there. A kid shouldn't have to do this."

"I disagree." Leon said. "Sora has matured in this last month. I'm quite impressed with how much he has changed."

"Thanks." Sora blushed. "I promise to end this madness."

"But remember," Leon began. "You're going right into the frying pan. The heartless will be extremely difficult to defeat."

The trio nodded and boarded the ship. Toadsworth also boarded and the door closed. The plane took off and Kairi watched it leave. A tear came streaming down her face and Leon put his hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be back." Leon smiled.

A new route opened up on the Toad Express path and Tails drove the plane into it. The path was very rough and the plane began shaking. Tails began sweating nervously as he gripped the control. He knew that Sora, Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi's lives were in his hands.

"Sonic, give me strength." Tails whispered to himself.

The Toad Express at one point began diving, but Tails was able to bring it back up. He kept everything under control until he entered another warp pipe and arrived back at the castle of darkness. Tails sat back in his seat and sighed. Sora walked in and noticed the little fox was exhausted.

"Take it easy." Sora said. "You're the best pilot ever. Thank you."

"No problem, Sora." Tails sighed. "Is everyone alright?"

"All except for Luigi who fainted." Sora chuckled. "Other then that, we're ready, Tails."

"I've done my part." Tails said. "Now it's all up to you."

Sora nodded and took his leave. After many attempts, Sora was able to get Luigi up and the three returned back to the castle of darkness. Sora noticed that darkness has spread out of it from the keyhole.

"Looks like the heartless came out to play." Luigi said.

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi need to get back in there." Yoshi said, impatiently.

"Right! Let's go!" Sora nodded in agreement. Before they could move, Sora gasped as he saw Fox standing not too far from them. Sora ran up to Fox and greeted him. "Fox!"

"Sora!" the fox cried. He then shook Sora's hand. "I'm glad you're safe."

"You too." Sora nodded. "I'm glad the heartless didn't give you a big problem." Sora then looked around the area. He remembered that the princesses should have been free now. He was sure that Krystal was with Fox. "Where's Krystal? I thought she was with you."

Fox looked at the castle, "I thought so too, but she still in there."

"Against her will?" Yoshi asked Fox.

"No." Fox responded. "I can sense her feelings. I think she stayed behind for a reason. Notice that the other princesses haven't hurried home for supper."

"He right!" Yoshi exclaimed. "Others still in there!"

"Why would Peach stay behind?" Luigi asked.

Sora ran ahead and turned to the group, "Let's go find out!"

"I'll guide you through the castle." Fox said, getting his staff out. "You may need some help."

The group made their way passed the rising falls and onto the outside of the castle. The heartless attacked upon arrival and the group fought them. Sora used his keyblade to knock them aside. He then used Strike Raid and wacked heartless that attacked from the air. Luigi used F.L.U.D.D to spray water on the heartless and knock them away. He sprayed the floor which caused some to trip. Yoshi used egg roll and rolled around the area and squashed the smaller heartless.

Fox pulled out his staff and spun it around, knocking heartless in front of him away. Two heartless dove at him from above, but Fox jumped onto the top of his stick and the two ran into each other. He then grabbed his staff and swung it over his shoulder and hit both heartless on the heads. He then twirled it and knocked both heartless away. The group proceeded into the castle where they ran into more heartless.

Sora used Ragnarok and knocked a group of heartless back. He then fired a golden beam out of his keyblade and knocked the heartless away. Luigi used Gravity to bring down heartless that were flying in the air. Yoshi ate his heartless and spat them out at others. Fox spun his staff around and then pound it into the ground, creating a giant earthquake. The heartless went flying across the room. More heartless then entered the hallway. Sora kicked one aside and slashed three behind him. He then grabbed another one from behind and threw it into the air, shooting a Fira spell at it.

The heartless continued to enter the room and ambush the group. They couldn't stop all of them and got knocked into the library door. Luigi quickly grabbed the handles on the door and began pulling on it, but it wouldn't open. The group began to panic as Luigi tried as hard as he could to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Luigi then panted and sat on the floor, exhausted from pulling on the door. Yoshi then walked up to the door and pushed it open. Luigi smacked his forehead in realization and groaned.

"Oh, I knew that." Luigi said.

The four dived through the door and quickly slammed it behind them. The group sighed with relief as they stood up and looked around.

"Luigi, sometimes you can't even think right." Sora sighed. "It took a two year old just to open a door."

"Silence!" snapped Luigi. He then sighed. "I've never seen that many before. That keyhole not only made them stronger, but made the army size big as a Storm Trooper army marching down the hallway." He then shivered. "Ugh! I can't stand the sounds their feet make when they walk."

"Listen, this isn't the time to talk about sci-fi movies." Fox pointed out. "We're never going to get to the princesses at this rate."

"Maybe there's a secret passageway." Sora assumed.

Fox then paused as he could feel something strange. He walked through the library searching for something. Shrugging their shoulders, the trio followed him. They reached the end of the area and walked up the stairs. Fox reached the top first and gasped in excitement upon who he saw. It was Krystal and she just finished reading a book. She turned to see Fox and smiled.

Fox dropped his staff and stood frozen. He was a bit skeptical at first, but had a good hunch it was really her.

"K-krystal?" Fox asked nervously. "Is that really you?"

Krystal giggled, "Who else would it be? A heartless?"

Fox laughed nervously at the comment and then smiled. Tears rushed down his face and he ran into Krystal's arms and hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Krystal!" Fox cried. The tears rushed down his face. This is the first time ever since his father died that he has broken down. "I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry! If only I..."

"It's okay, Fox." Krystal said softly. "I understand. Better late then ever, right?"

Fox pulled away from Krystal and brushed her hair, "Krystal, I've always wanted to tell you the truth. I love you. Ever since you joined the Starfox team my heart has been beating for you. I was just too afraid to tell you."

"And I love you as well, Fox." Krystal confessed. "I've always have and always will."

The two kissed each other on the lips and Sora smiled. He was happy to see the two foxes united. He then noticed Luigi crying from the beautiful moment. He walked over to the table and picked up a tissue box. Sora brought it back to Luigi and held it out.

"Tissue?" Sora asked.

Luigi took it and blew his nose on it, "Thank you, kid."

The two foxes pulled away from each other. Krystal brushed Fox's chin and he smiled warmly. Krystal then turned her attention to Sora.

"Greeting chosen one of the keyblade." she said to Sora. "I thank you for the brave sacrifice." Sora nodded. "But the keyhole still remains unlocked at this moment." She then turned to Fox. "Fox shall go with you because the power of the heartless has grown."

"Listen, lady." Luigi said. "We'd love to go, but the heartless are everywhere. We can't even get to the source of the problem by going through the problem."

"It's Krystal first off." Krystal said. "And secondly there is a secret elevator that should bring you back to the chapel. I believe a friend named Peach is waiting for you." She then looked down the stairs. "Hm, someone is about to enter this room."

"Huh?" Sora asked confused.

"The princess!" called a voice.

The group turned to see Toadsworth walking into the room and walking up the stairs.

"Greetings, Master Sora!" Toadsworth said.

"Toadsworth!" Yoshi cried. "What Toadsworth doing here?"

"Why else? See that Princess Peach is perfectly okay." Toadsworth chortled.

Luigi then realized something and turned to Krystal, "How did you know he was coming?"

"I have telepathic powers." Krystal responded. "In speaking of telepathic I have a gift for you, Sora." She then handed him a badge and keychain. "The badge is called Scan and with this on, you can sense enemies. The keychain I also gave you is called Swiftfox. It has amazing power. I'm sure it will give you courage like the courage Fox has." Fox blushed and kissed Krystal again. "And you may hold onto my staff this time, Fox."

"Thanks, Krystal." Fox smiled.

"And thanks for the gifts." Sora said to Krystal. "I promise to use it."

Krystal led the group to the end of the hallway and pulled a book out of a shelf. A secret door appeared and she opened it, revealing a platform. The five stepped on the elevator and Krystal made a worried look.

"Please, be careful." Krystal said. "The darkness is raging on. The six of us are doing the best we can to hold it back. But we won't last much longer. You must hurry and finish the job."

"Then let's do it!" Sora said with full energy.

Krystal pressed a button and the elevator lifted into the air. The group arrived outside on the floating platform as it made its way up towards the top of the castle. Sora never really got to see the castle from this point of view and he thought it was amazing. The group looked down to see they were a hundred feet in the air. Finally, the platform reached the door outside of the castle. The group stepped off and walked into the next room.

They arrived at the hallway that lead to the chapel and quickly ran through as the heartless began to appear. They then arrived in the chapel room. They looked to see the remaining princesses talking to each other. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth saw Peach talking to the young bear cub and they ran up to her.

"Princess Peach!" Toadsworth, Luigi, and Yoshi cried together.

"Thank you my friends." Peach smiled at the group. "But our princess is in another castle."

"WHAT?" Yoshi cried.

Luigi and Toadsworth both almost fainted, but Sora was able to grab them. Peach giggled a little bit.

"That trick never gets old." Peach giggled.

Sora helped get the two adults back on their feet. Toadsworth scowled at the princess.

"Princess!" Toadsworth scowled. "Don't you ever scare me to death like that again!" Peach made sad, puppy dog eyes at the elder mushroom and Toadsworth sighed. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you princess." He then hugged her. "I'm go glad you're okay! I was worried sick princess! I worried night and day..."

"Toadsworth, calm down!" Peach cried, as the mushroom ranted on. "I'm okay!" She then turned to see the trio. "Thank you Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi. You three have done well."

"We're glad you're alive, Peach." Luigi said. "My brother would have had a heart attack if he heard all about this."

"Well, I guess it was fate that chose me to be one of the seven princesses of heart." Peach shrugged. She then bent down to the bear cub. "This is another one named Tooty. I believe this is the only one you haven't met yet."

"We've been waiting for your arrival, keyblade master." Tooty said. "The other princesses and my self have been holding back the keyhole." She then sighed. "I would have rather go on an adventure with my big lazy brother then do this, but that's how life is sometimes."

"Your majesty, what happened to Ansem?" Sora asked the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. "I was told he was still alive. We've got to stop him!"

"Sorry, Sora." she said sadly. "He's gone."

"Gracious!" Toadsworth exclaimed.

"But how?" Yoshi asked in shock.

"When the darkness came pouring out of the keyhole, it swallowed him. Ansem disappeared." Peach sadly explained.

"But that's not stopping the keyhole." Tooty added. "It's still flooding and we're doing everything we can to stop it."

"The reaction on Ansem's face when he was consumed was the most frightening part." Peach said, feeling the chills coming down her spine from remembering it. "He was smiling as the darkness consumed him."

"Who wouldn't find that face frightening?" Luigi asked rhetorically. "I mean they should arrest him for attempting a first degree cause of blindness."

Sora laughed at the joke, "Now that was a funny joke, Luigi!" He then paused about what he just said. However, Luigi didn't hear Sora when he said it._"Did I just say Luigi, funny, and joke all in the same sentence?" _

"Please, I give you my full support." Peach said. "Good luck."

Toadsworth remained with Peach as Sora's group went to see Samus, Zelda, and Dixie.

"Hey, you three are okay!" Sora said.

"Good to see you again, Sora." Dixie smiled.

"Look, there isn't much time for a reunion." Samus pointed out. "After all you did to save me from the space pirates, now I'll help you."

"We're doing the best we can to hold the darkness back, Sora." Zelda said. "You've got to hurry! We won't last much longer!"

"Kid, we've got to head for the chamber before we're too late." Luigi said. "The princesses won't last forever."

"Yeah, we'll get right on it!" Sora cried.

Sora's group said good-bye and headed into the next room where the heartless attacked them. Fox used his earthquake ability to knock the heartless back. The group processed into the next room which was the chamber area. The heartless once again attacked head on. Sora slashed through the heartless as the others followed him. They had to hurry and tried to knock any heartless that came at them. Sora also found another treasure chest which contained another keychain known as Oblivion.

He put it on and it made him stronger and he was able to knock the heartless back. The four finally reached the heart portal and dove into it. Their new surroundings were a giant room that had multicolors such as red, blue, and green. Sora gasped as he noticed the keyhole on a heartless symbol. Unlike the others, this one had fire surrounding it. Sora could sense it was very powerful.

"Hurry!" Fox called. "Let's close this thing!"

Sora's group headed for the keyhole when a giant purple beast appeared out of the sky with four legs. It was a giant heartless with a horn on the top and two giant fangs that stuck up. Luigi groaned and smacked his forehead.

"So close!" Luigi groaned. "We were so close!"

"Come on!" Sora cried, getting his keyblade ready. "We can do this together! This Behemoth looks tough, but we can beat him!"

Behemoth brought it's two front feet up and then back down which sent a shock wave at the group. They quickly dodged the attack and charged at the monster. It then fired a dark energy ball from it's horn and split it into smaller balls. A few hit the group and knocked them down. As another one came down, Sora deflected the attack away. Fox used his staff and spun some away and using it like a fan, knocked the attack right back at the monster.

Behemoth jumped into the air and slammed back down on the ground. Luigi and Yoshi ran other the monster's legs to avoid the attack. Yoshi tried to hit the monster with an egg, but it had no effect.

"Oh, no!" Yoshi gasped.

Sora tried to stab the beast's leg, but it quickly knocked him back with it. Sora went crashing into Fox and the two went flying into the wall. Luigi tried to use stop magic, but it also had no effect. He then tried his gravity magic and it caused the beast to scream in pain. It then bent down and growled. Sora used his new scan ability to detect that the horn was the source of his power. The four quickly attacked the monster with hard blows.

The monster could feel extreme amounts of pain coming from their blows. He got so mad that he put a shield up on the horn and stood up. He then fired giant lightning which zapped everyone. The group tried to get up, but the monster blasted them again. They weakly got up and ran at the monster again. They then figured out a better way to hit the monster's horn, by jumping on his back. The group quickly ran under the monster's legs and arrived at the other end. Sora then jumped for it and got on. The others then followed him up.

They ran for the horn and began striking it as much as they could. Behemoth noticed this and shot electricity out at the group. The group went flying back to the edge, but Sora was able to grab to the creature's back. He crawled his way back up and charged again at the horn. He snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and dashed through the monster and finished it with a hard strike. Behemoth hit the ground from the tremendous pain.

"Quickly!" Sora cried.

The four rapidly hit the beast as much as they could until it put up a shield to protect its horn. It then fired another thunder spell at everyone. The group was able to dodge it this time and charged at the monster again. Behemoth shot another energy ball at the group which they all dodged again. Fox rapidly slashed the little balls away by spinning his staff. Sora and Luigi used gravity to bring the beast down hard to the ground. Finally, the group combined their attacks into one final blow and brought it down hard on Behemoth.

Behemoth growled in pain after receiving such a blow and it fell over. It gave on more look at Sora's group and it disappeared from their sight. Sora received a rare and powerful item called "Omega Arts" which he saved for later.

"We did it." Luigi sighed.

"He wasn't so bad." Fox said from his perspective.

"You kidding?" Luigi groaned. "I got zapped so many times I thought I was going to turn into ashes."

Yoshi looked over to see the dark keyhole, "Sora need to seal keyhole now."

Sora nodded and walked over to the keyhole. As he was about ready to seal it, he heard a familiar voice.

"Sora. You did it." called Leon.

"Leon?" Sora asked, baffled. "What's he doing here?"

"Let's go and find out." Fox said.

The four left the dark room together and decided the keyhole could wait a moment. Outside, Fox said good-bye and headed back to the chapel to find Krystal. Sora gasped as he saw Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith. He walked over to them while Luigi and Yoshi stayed behind to watch over the keyhole.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Sora asked. "I didn't need any help."

"Why would we help you?" Yuffie joked. "Your big feet could stomp on any heartless." Sora frowned at her. "Only joking. Cid had an extra block and we were able to come here in the same vessel we used to leave here."

"Where is Cid?" Sora asked.

"He went to check out the old workshop here." Aerith explained. "As you're aware, this is our childhood home. We wanted to see it again now that you were here."

"And as I feared it is in the worse shape ever." Leon said, looking around at the castle. "This world used to be beautiful and peaceful. I hope one day we can rebuild this world to the way it was." He then turned to Sora. "Kairi is safe. I left her with Tom Nook. Hopefully, nothing bad will go wrong."

"Leon, I'm about to seal the keyhole." Sora told him. "What do you think will happen now?"

"At this point I think that the darkness will weaken." Leon assumed. "But, the threat will still be alive. I believe our only chance on winning this war is to take out the one who caused this."

"Ansem?"

"Exactly." Aerith nodded. "He's the one who started all this by experimenting on the heart. After that, he released the true darkness which caused this whole thing to turn into a big problem."

"If Ansem is defeated, every single world that was lost by the darkness shall return." Leon added. "That means your island as well."

Sora gasped excitedly. Finally, he was going to go home. Everything would be back to normal, plus he would be able to invite Luigi and Yoshi to his island sometimes and it would be a whole new journey.

"I get to go home!" Sora cried happily. "I can see my mom and dad again. And my friends! You guys can always come and visit me if you..." Sora noticed the adults had sad looks on their faces. He knew that something was horribly wrong. "What's the matter? I thought you were happy."

"We are." Leon nodded. "But when all the worlds are restored..."

"...this will mean good-bye." Yuffie finished sadly.

"Good-bye?" Sora blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Once the worlds are restored, they'll become separated again." Aerith explained.

"Everyone will go back to where they came from." Yuffie said. "And there's nothing they could do."

Sora began to felt nervous. How could they be sad? Weren't the worlds separated already? He was confused still, but then he knew that everything was okay.

"No, problem." Sora smiled. "I can ask Luigi and Yoshi if they could fly down in the Toad Express. Then, I can come and visit you guys."

"It's not as simple as it appears." Leon said to Sora's dismay. "Think about it, Sora. If you did know about other worlds out there, then I'm sure you would have visited them at an earlier time. But you never knew about other worlds nor then anyone else, did they?" Sora nodded. "That's because every world was isolated. Impassable by an invisible wall. The heartless destroyed the walls which caused other world travel."

"When the worlds are restored, those walls will return." Aerith said. "No question about it."

Sora couldn't believe his ears. He would never be able to see any of them again. Leon, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie. He put his head down and fought back the tears that were coming out of his eyes.

"It can't be!" Sora cried in sorrow. "So, that means that we can never...?" Leon nodded before the boy could finish. He was heartbroken. He didn't want it to end like this. He loved exploring other worlds with his friends. Meeting new faces and going on fabulous adventures. Sora then sadly turned to Luigi and Yoshi. His two friends that supported him through his entire adventure would be out of his life for good. "Luigi...Yoshi...I don't know what to do without..."

Leon put his hand on Sora's shoulder, "It's alright. Not everything works out. I know you'll miss those two. Especially, Yoshi. You've grown attached to him." Sora sniffled a little bit. "Crying won't help. You need to be strong. We may never meet again, but as long as we remember each other, we'll always be in each others lives."

"Even if we are aprat." Aerith began. "Our hearts will bring us together again."

Sora looked up and smiled at the group. He needed to be strong now. This maybe the last time he'll see his friends, but a piece of each one would live on in his heart.

"Besides, I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." Yuffie said, trying to enlighten the group.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Sora chuckled. He then sighed. "But, I don't know how I'm going to break this to Luigi and Yoshi. It will break their hearts. Yoshi's especially. He looks at me like a big brother."

"Hey, Sora!" called Luigi. "What are you doing? Get your behind over here!"

Sora turned to notice the duo impatiently waiting for him.

"Hurry!" Yoshi called. "Come and close the keyhole!"

"I wouldn't worry about it now." Leon responded. "Good luck, Sora."

Sora nodded and left for the keyhole. Back inside, Sora approached the keyhole with the two behind him. Taking a deep breath, he took out the keyblade and pointed it right at the keyhole. The tip of the keyblade began glowing brightly upon contact with the keyhole. It shot a bright light at the keyhole and the fire dimmed and the keyhole made the familiar locking noise. The keyhole the made an extremely bright light and then flashed before Sora's eyes. The light finally dimmed and the keyhole was gone for good. The trio cheered as they finally sealed the keyhole and were one step closer to ending this madness.

As the group arrived outside, they ran into Aerith who was still around.

"Sora! You've got to read this!" she said.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"I found most of the Ansem reports." Aerith responded. "And take this with you. It will give you a bit of light."

Sora received a few more Ansem reports and a crystal to update his cure magic. The trio left the main hall and headed back to the chapel. Now that the heartless have vanished, it was smooth sailing all the way back. Upon their arrival, the princesses greeted them.

"You did good, kid." Samus said. "The darkness has begun to take it's leave. That puts me at ease."

"Not so fast, Samus." Zelda said discouraged. "There's another powerful darkness growing not too far from here."

"She's right!" Peach gasped, "It feels like the heart of all darkness."

"Probably where that Ansem guy went." assumed Luigi.

"Then we got to get in the Toad Express and finish this battle!" Sora cried.

"A worthy answer, keyblade master." Tooty said. She then handed Sora two crystals. "Take these. They'll make you stronger."

Sora received the final magic upgrades to ice and fire. Dixie smiled to Sora with hope.

"Your courage can bring back our worlds." Dixie said. "Believe me, the way you handled Captain Skurvy and his crew was impressive."

"Sora, when you, Luigi, and Yoshi defeat the darkness, all should return to it's original state." Peach explained.

Sora gasped in shock because he knew that Kairi wasn't from Destiny Island to begin with.

"Will Kairi return to my island?" Sora asked with hope.

"Most certainly." Tooty nodded. "And you should be, too."

"But, I know that Mario is still out there." Peach sighed sadly. "I'm counting on you three to find him."

"And we need to find Riku, too." Luigi added.

"Yeah!" Sora cried. "I'm not going home until they're safe!"

"And I'll gladly help as well." Toadsworth nodded. "I do worry about the princess, but I promised to help in this journey of yours." He then turned to Peach. "Stay out of trouble, young lady."

"Okay." she sighed while rolling her eyes.

The group said their good-byes and headed out. On the way, they stopped by the library and said goo-bye to Fox and Krystal. The four headed back for the Toad Express and Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth boarded. Sora looked back at the castle and sighed. He knew he had one more task to complete, but in doing so, his magical journey would end. He didn't even know if he had the heart to tell his friends he was leaving. It was like with Yoshi and the storybook, except worse.

"Come on, Sora!" Yoshi called.

Sora sadly turned back and boarded the ship.


	30. Why Masks and Emeralds Don’t Mix

**Chapter XXIX: Why Masks and Emeralds Don't Mix**

On the Toad Express, Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth were deciding what their next plan of action was. Sora was still wondering off into memory lane, remembering meeting Luigi and Yoshi, traveling to other worlds filled with mystery, wonder, and adventure. He felt like his dreams were smashed right in front of his face like a mirror and he saw his sorrow in the reflection of those little pieces of those dreams. Although it would be great to finally be reunited with Riku and Kairi, he just couldn't help but feel like apart of his life was leaving him.

"Okay," Yoshi began. "So, we go find bad guy and attack him."

"Bad idea, kid." Luigi objected. "At our current level we'd get creamed. Not even Sora could beat him."

"I agree with Master Luigi." Toadsworth said. "We don't know how powerful this madman is. It could be dangerous."

"But, bad man could destroy worlds at anytime!" Yoshi panicked.

"Calm down, Yoshi." Sora said, petting Yoshi's head. "Ansem knows I'm coming and I don't think he's going to try to pull anything. Luigi's actually right for once."

"What?" Luigi asked in shock.

Sora laughed, "Only kidding." He then sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "But how can we become stronger? Even those updated spells we have won't be enough."

"Well, opportunities like that don't just ring on the phone." Luigi said. As if expected, the group heard the phone ring. "I stand corrected."

"I get it." Yoshi said, excitedly.

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and wrapped it around the phone. However, as he pulled it off, it went too fast and Yoshi swallowed the phone. Everyone else made disgusted looks at Yoshi.

"Kid, a phone is suppose to be picked up, not digested." Luigi groaned.

The group then heard a muffling sound coming from Yoshi's stomach. Sora curiously pressed his ear against Yoshi's stomach and heard a familiar voice.

"Hello?" called the muffled voice of Professor Oak. "Is anyone there?"

"It's the professor." Sora said. "There must be another tournament coming up." He then turned to Luigi and Toadsworth. "But, how can we even talk to him when he's inside the belly of the beast?"

"Watch this." Luigi said with confidence.

Luigi walked over to Yoshi and opened his mouth wide. The group then heard Oak's voice loud and clear, calling their names. Luigi gestured Sora to talk into the mouth. Sora put his face up to Yoshi's mouth and talked into it.

"Professor?" Sora called. "Can you hear me?"

"Oh, hello, Sora." Oak responded. "You sound a bit far away. Using a speaker phone?"

Sora rubbed his head and chuckled, "You could say that. What's up?"

"The next tournament is going to take place in three hours." Oak responded. "This will be the biggest one ever."

"How come?" Luigi asked.

"Strange, why do I hear slushing sounds and sizzling sounds?" Oak asked, strangely.

"Stomach acid!" Sora cried.

Sora quickly grabbed the telephone line and pulled on it. Yoshi felt the phone lift from his stomach and go up through his throat. Yoshi then opened his mouth and spat the phone out, which had drool on it. The phone then hit Luigi in the head and knocked him over. Sora ran and brought a towel back and wiped the phone off. Luigi stood back up and wiped his head off because of the slobber on it.

"Yuck!" Luigi said with disgust. "I've been slobbered two days in a row now!"

Sora put his ear up to the phone and cleared his throat, "Sorry, we're having a little trouble with reception and the speaker phone isn't working."

"Anyway, this is the last tournament of the year." Oak continued. "If you win, you'll be the champions of the tournament. Also, you'll be able to enter two special matches. I'll explain more upon arrival."

"Okay, we'll be right there." Sora nodded with excitement.

"Take your time." Oak said. "It won't begin for another three hours. You three should get something to eat, stretch out, start getting ready for the tournament."

"We will." Sora nodded. "Good-bye." He hung up the phone and turned to his group. "We have three hours to get ready. We should head back to Isle Delfino and stock up on items."

"And some disinfected." Luigi added. "I've got Yoshi germs all over me!"

Sora chuckled and was about to go tell Tails to leave when the young fox ran into the room in a panic. He was nervous and sweat was dripping down his face. Tears were also streaming down his face and his breathing was fast and sharp. Sora bent down to Tails and put his hands on the fox's shoulders.

"Tails!" Sora exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Help! Help! My friends are in trouble! Sonic is in trouble! I need to go back!" Tails cried. "I can't leave him! I know he's in trouble! Please, Sora, help!"

Tails cried uncontrollably and Sora hugged him, trying to calm the fox down.

"Tails, it's okay." Sora said, softly. "Shh! It's alright. If there's a problem we can help." He then turned to Yoshi. "Get Tails some water."

Yoshi nodded and ran to get some water.

"Why didn't you ask me to get the water?" Luigi asked, upset.

"Knowing you Luigi you'd probably trip and fall when you came back with it." Sora assumed.

Sora picked up Tails and brought him over to a chair and sat him down. Tails took slow breaths, feeling his heart pump rapidly from the panic. He was afraid of the horrible events that were taking place. He was feeling this way because he was scared of losing Sonic who was like a father figure to him. The older brother he never had was in trouble and he wasn't going to stand around and watch Sonic suffer. Yoshi ran in with the water and handed it to Tails who drank it slowly.

Tails drank the water slowly and it helped calm him down. He began to felt a little better as he knew that Sora and his friends could help him. After all, they did help to save his life once and he has helped them.

"Now, calmly," Sora began, softly. "Tell me what happened."

"I recently got the morning paper from my world." Tails explained. He was still out of breath and was breathing slowly, so he was slow on his world. "I never got a chance to read it because I was driving when it was brought aboard through the mail slot of the Toad Express, but when I did read it they said that Station Square has been destroyed!"

The group gasped in horror upon hearing that. Sora remembered that Dr. Eggman escaped the battle in a humorous way. He figured that the mad scientist was up to his own tricks. But how could he have? Sora was sure Sonic would have taken care of the problem by now.

"Eggman?" Sora asked. "Did he do this?"

"Nah," Tails replied with a little chuckle. "Eggman can't even take over a pawn shop." He then made a worried look again. "But, I'm worried about Sonic. I don't think he can handle something that powerful." He then paused. "Except for Amy, but that's another story."

"Man, you're always talking about that blue pain in the bum." Luigi groaned. "What's so special about him?" Tails got angry upon hearing that and tried to attack Luigi. Sora held him back while the plumber ran and hid behind another chair. "Don't hurt me!"

"Calm down, Tails!" Sora cried. "Luigi still has issues with your friend." He then smiled. "Sonic's pretty tough, I doubt he'll have problems with whatever it is."

"I don't know, Master Sora." Toadsworth disagreed. "We can't just tell from sitting here. Perhaps, we should head to Station Square and investigate this disastrous turn of events. Also, it could kill the three hours before the tournament."

"Good idea, Toadsworth." Sora nodded in agreement.

"No way!" Luigi shouted, running up to the group in fear. "If something that powerful can destroy a city, then you can count me out!"

Sora looked at his friend in disappointment, "What's your problem? Tails has done so much for us already. We would have probably never rescued the princesses, Kairi, or find your brother without him. If we don't help, not only would people get hurt, but we wouldn't even show gratitude for what he's done. We got return the favor. It's just not nice if we don't."

"Oh, well you go kid and I'll make like a banana and split." Luigi gulped.

"Forget it!" Yoshi snapped. "Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi go together!"

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Luigi said nervously.

"Listen, ignore Luigi." Sora said with a smile. "We'll help in anyway."

Tails jumped up excitedly, "Thank you, Sora! I knew I could count on you! You guys are the nicest people I've ever met...besides Sonic."

"Then let's go to Station Square!" Sora announced.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Tails saluted.

Tails felt reassurance in himself because of Sora's kindness. He also knew that Sonic wanted him to be strong and in this situation that's exactly what he needed to do. He knew that everything would be okay now that they were going to check it out. He ran to the front of the ship and turned on the engine. He then used the warp drive to take them to Station Square. Upon arrival, what Tails saw made him gasp in horror. He saw water falling from all around the world, dropping down like a water fall.

He also noticed that building were crushed and in ruin. It looked like a stack of dominos have been knocked over. He ran back to the passenger room and told the trio to look out the window. What they saw shocked them.

"Holy macaroni!" Luigi explained. "This place is a mess!"

"It's like an aquarium on a bad day." Sora remarked. "Come on, let's check it out!"

"But, what if there are sharks in there?" Luigi asked nervously.

"What are you, Luigi? A man or mouse?" Sora asked.

"Would you believe I'm a chicken of the sea?" Luigi said in a high pitched voice.

Sora rolled his eyes and began to leave. He then noticed that Yoshi was no where in sight. He looked around the room for a few minutes checking ever inch of the Toad Express. Finally, he saw Yoshi hiding under the control area. Sora bent down to him and smiled.

"Let me guess, too much water, right?" Sora figured. Yoshi nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen. Maybe this would be the time to try and conquer your fear. I'll even give you a piggyback ride down there."

Yoshi smiled as he knew he could always trust Sora. Taking his words for granted, Yoshi crawled out from under his spot and jumped onto Sora's back. The boy walked out of the room with Yoshi on his back and rejoined the others. As they walked out, Yoshi laughed.

"This is first time anyone give Yoshi a piggyback ride." Yoshi laughed.

The four got dropped off on top of a piece of an highway road. Sora was shocked by what he saw. He noticed that all the buildings were in ruin and the glass in the windows were all broken. Most of the buildings were tipped over and were floating gently on the water. Cars were on their backs and the wheels were spinning slowly. The roads were torn apart and were not seen at all. The street lights sparked from the damage done. Some of them were even torn in half.

As the group proceeded on, Sora noticed the citizens of Station Square were cowering in fear inside buildings. As he looked up, he could see the highway and how sections of it were broken away. He figured it must have been something extremely big and powerful. He looked down to see water as far as the eye could see was right below them. He could see more ruble and cars wrecked underneath it.

They continued walking for a few minutes until they then noticed one of the highway roads was unstable. The rough waves were tilting it back and forth. The group noticed a small young rabbit wearing a one piece red shirt and dress. She had a blue tie on that split into two directions. She had brown type of marks on her head, around her eyes, and on the tips of her long ears. She also wore shoes that had a yellow and red stripe.

In the rabbit's arms was a strange creature that was smaller then her. It was light blue and it had yellow dots on the edge of its pudgy little hands and feet. Its face was shaped like a small chocolate kisses candy. It also had a small dot over its head. The rabbit whimpered as she held onto the creature tightly. She was frightened and lost. Tails gasped as he noticed the rabbit.

"Cream and Cheese?" A baffled Tails said.

"No thank you." Yoshi said, shaking his head. "But Yoshi would love some cream and cheese." He then smacked his lip. "It good."

"Um, I think that's there names." Sora said, correcting Yoshi.

"What a world." Luigi chuckled. "We meet people who have names of food products and body parts. What's next, Toothbrush the Happy Hamster?"

"Would you stop it?" Sora groaned at Luigi.

"Hey, Cream!" Tails called to the rabbit. "Are you okay?"

Cream looked up to see Tails and sighed with relief. She was happy to know a familiar face was near by.

"Oh, Tails, thank goodness!" she said. "I'm so glad you're here! I got so scared and I thought no one would help me!"

Cream flapped her ears like a bird would flap its wings and flew into the air. Cheese had two wings on his back and used them to fly over to the spot were Sora's group was. As they landed, Cream ran over to Tails and hugged him. Cheese jumped into Tails' arms and nudged his face.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese said happily.

"Okay, Cheese." Tails laughed. "I'm happy to see you, too." He put Cheese back down and turned to Cream. "What happened?"

"It was terrible." Cream said, with fear in her voice. "I was walking through the city when the water started rising up. The buildings all exploded from water and began flooding the entire town. I saw cars crash into each other. Cheese and I were lucky enough to hide somewhere thanks to Sonic."

"You saw Sonic?" Tails gasped in excitement. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Cream responded. "I never saw him after that." She then turned to Sora's group. "Are these new friends of yours?"

"Yeah, these are Sora and his friends." Tails said, introducing the trio. "I'm helping them in a fight against a group of bad guys. But when I heard about Station Square I came back and they promised to help me."

Cream curtsied to Sora's group and smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Sora. I'm Cream and this is my friend Cheese the Chao."

"Nice to meet you." Sora nodded. He then bent down to her. "Do you know who caused this?"

"It was Chaos." called a familiar voice.

The group turned to notice Knuckles walking up to them with an injured Sonic who was resting on his shoulder. Tails gasped in horror upon seeing Sonic.

"Sonic!" Tails cried. "Are you-"

"I'm okay, bro." Sonic chuckled weakly.

"Here let me help." Sora offered.

The keyblade master used his cure spell to recover Sonic's wounds and cuts. The hedgehog sighed as he felt better and was able to stand up. He walked over to Tails and brushed his hair.

"I knew you'd come back, kid." Sonic smirked. "Best bros always stick together." Tails smiled at Sonic who smiled back. He then turned to Sora. "Hey, Sora, Yoshi, and old timer. What's up?"

"You when I send you flying into the air." Luigi said, angrily waving his fist at Sonic.

"Cool it, Luigi!" snapped Sora. He then turned back to Sonic. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Knuckles looked around the city in surprise, "Man, he really did it this time."

"Nah," Sonic said. "This just a holiday, Knuckles. It's called make-your-city-look-like-trash-week."

Knuckles then shrugged and began to walk away, "Ok, well if it's nothing then..." He then stopped and thought about what Sonic said. "HEY!"

Sonic laughed, "Sorry, man! I couldn't resist!" He then turned back to Sora. "It was Chaos. He did all this. Man, what a monster! I tried fighting him and couldn't even hurt him."

"What could be worse then that?" Luigi asked, horrified.

The group then noticed that Amy was running up to the group with tears streaming out of her eyes. She knew that Sonic got hurt from his fight and was extremely scared for him.

"You just had to ask." Sonic moaned at Luigi.

Amy ran into Sonic's arms and hugged him, "Oh, my Sonic! My sweet Sonic! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"I'm fine, Amy!" Sonic cried, trying to push her off. "Please, didn't you know I'm highly allergic to you?"

Amy pulled away from him and giggled.

"Oh, Sonic, you're the cutest ever." she giggled.

"She didn't even hear my insult." Sonic groaned.

"Chaos has gotten the seven emeralds." Knuckles said, continuing for Sonic. "I brought them back to Angel Island after our adventure on the Egg Carrier. I did that so Eggman could never use them ever again. But when Angel Island fell down, Chaos was able to find them."

"Then he went to your workshop and grabbed the last one." Sonic told Tails. "He destroyed everything."

"I'm sorry." Sora whispered with pity.

"Don't worry about it, man." Sonic chuckled. "I can beat him. I just need to work on getting those emeralds out of him."

"The worst part is that he's using a clock tower to use a doom spell on people." Knuckles added.

Luigi gave Knuckles the double look, "Doom spell? Please tell me you did not just say that."

"Is that bad, Luigi?" Sora asked Luigi, a bit confused by the definition of a doom spell.

"Kid, a doom spell can instantly bring an end to one's life." Luigi explained. "It can't be cured unless we defeat the one who used it in time."

"I've heard rumors that the doom spell is controlled by the clock tower." Knuckles said. "Once doom is cast on someone it begins a time rotation. They only have sixty seconds once the spell begins. Perhaps, we could slow the clock tower down."

"Our stop magic could work." Sora said.

"True, but it won't be enough." Sonic pointed out.

All of a sudden the group heard an ear shattering roar and the group turned to see Chaos looking down at them. He looked like a long log then went up. His face looked like the face of a shark. He opened his mouth to reveal his deadly sharp teeth. He gave the group an glare as he was ready to hunt down his pray. Yoshi ran behind Sora and coward while Cream and Cheese ran behind Tails.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

"Got that right." Sonic nodded in agreement.

"If we don't stop this guy he could reduce this world to ashes." Knuckles shouted.

"But with all seven emeralds residing with in him, it isn't going to be an easy task." Tails pointed out

Sora tried to figure out a way to beat this thing. With all emeralds in the beast he knew it would be difficult to defeat. He then heard a whirring sound from above him. Sora turned around and looked up, gasping at what he saw. It was the Egg Carrier and it was flying right towards the giant monster..

"Guys, look!" Sora cried.

Everyone looked up and noticed the Egg Carrier. Tails gasped in horror upon seeing this.

"Eggman!" cried Tails. "But, the Egg Carrier crashed into the sea. How can it still be functional?"

"Easy," Sonic responded. "I'm sure he always had a spare when needed. Looks like he's come to get a piece of Chaos."

Inside the main control room, Eggman was controlling the ship, angrily thrusting nobs back in forth. He knew he could never forgive the creature he tamed for turning his back on him. After all he's done for the water creature, he now betrayed the doctor.

"You foolish creature!" Eggman shouted angrily. "You are the main reason you ruined everything. You defied your master and no one gets away with defying me! That is why this Egg Carrier Two was designed." He then began pressing buttons. "Now, I shall bring about your demise you stupid beast!"

Chaos took notice of the Egg Carrier Two and took a giant inhale. As he did, energy began to form in his mouth from the power of the emeralds. As he exhaled, he released a giant purple beam which lifted into the air and blasted the new Egg Carrier. Sora's group gasped upon seeing the full power of Chaos effortlessly destroying the giant flying fortress.

The Egg Carrier Two slowly floated down towards the city while it was exploding from all over the place. Eggman quickly retreated to his Egg Mobile and pressed an ejection button and escaped just in time. The flying fortress flew into a building and exploded in front of the group. They covered there eyes as particles and dust came at them. As the dust cleared, the group noticed Eggman flying off on his Egg Mobile, screaming all the way.

"That does it!" Sonic shouted. He was ticked off with Chaos and wasn't going to let him get away with this. "You think you can just waltz in here and ruin our lives? Well, think again, buddy! Emeralds or not I can still beat you!"

Sora got his keyblade out knowing that it was a risk but, he was willing to fight for a friend. He felt a bit nervous going up against an invincible being like Chaos, but knew if he believed in himself, he could win. All of a sudden, a small pink ball of light appeared in front of the boy which startled him. Sora looked at the ball in confusion and curiously touched it. He felt a warm feeling from it and it felt comforting.

All of a sudden, as if his brain got struck by lightning, Sora saw images appear right before his eyes. He saw an ancient city with tropical palm trees and a giant tower with big stairs. It was in the middle of horrendous battle as Sora saw echidnas battling against each other. It was so graphic the battle that he couldn't even watch it, but the images continued. Next he saw a giant green emerald sitting on top of a giant shrine. He noticed blazes of fire around it, burning the entire shrine. It somehow felt real to him as he felt like the heat causing him to sweat and could smell the fumes.

He then noticed a female echidna walking up to the emerald. She had light orange skin and wore a golden neckless, a golden headband, white gloves, a skirt with a diamond mark of green, tan, and red in the middle of the diamond. She also wore sandals that had white wrappings around her feet to her legs. She weakly walked up to the emerald and looked at it. Fear and sorrow were in her eyes. Tears were streaming down her face and landed on the ground.

Sora noticed other creatures that looked like Cheese, but they were out cold on the floor. He looked back up at the girl who got on her hands and knees. She was panting and sweating from her brief encounter. She then looked back up at the emerald.

"How could this have happened?" she whimpered. "My father, everyone..." She then stood weakly back up. She had bruise marks on her and weakly walked closer to the emerald. "Why did he have to do this? He was good and now he destroys our home. I now call on your power! You must stop him!"

A flash covered the area and blinded Sora. The next moment he was back in Station Square and everyone was looking at him funny. Sora shook his head and thought it was a dream. He then turned and gasped to see the female echidna standing right in front of him. Everyone besides Luigi, Yoshi, and Cream gasped upon seeing her.

"Tikal?" Sonic gasped in surprise. "Everything that happened was real!"

"You know her?" Luigi asked Sonic.

Sonic nodded, "She's been following me everywhere, showing me images of the past."

"Does this have something to do with Chaos?" Sora asked.

"Chaos isn't bad." Tikal explained. "He once had a pure heart like all of you here. But, when war broke out between our people, he got so filled with anger that he lost his mind. That's when I had to seal him in the master emerald, but I had to seal myself within it as well."

"So all these years he's been cooped in their full of sorrow and pain." Amy figured.

"Correct, but when that foolish, greedy, man..."

"You forgot fat." Sonic interrupted.

"...when he released Chaos, I knew it would be a disaster." Tikal continued. "I tried to prevent the same thing from happening, but I was too late." She then looked at the entire city with sadness in her eyes. "Now, Chaos will destroy the world just like he did before."

"What happening?" Yoshi said nervously, pointing at Chaos.

The group looked up to see the seven multicolor emeralds floating around the giant monster. He then knocked them off into separate directions. They appeared not too far from the group and began to lose their power. The beautiful colors that wants kept the emeralds shining disappeared and turned into dark, gray substance that looked worthless.

Tikal gasped upon seeing this. Folding her hands together, she looked back up at Chaos.

"He's absorbed the emeralds power." Tikal explained. "There's only one way to stop him and that is to seal him back in the Master Emerald. There isn't much time! Hurray!"

"Would that even help?" Sonic asked himself. "Even if we did seal him back in it wouldn't change the feelings inside of him."

"He's right." Sora agreed. "He'd just be lost in there forever with sorrow and anger in his heart. Chaos is really a good creature, but is it worth it?" Sora looked back at Chaos. "I mean this wasn't his fault. He's just misguided."

"What choice do we have?" Tikal said sadly. "I can't let him continue this, even though he's been a loyal friend."

"That's what I thought." Sora said, feeling Tikal's pain. "This situation is much like with Riku. He was good to begin with and in the end he let the darkness control him." Sora felt fire in his eyes upon saying that. He never gave up on Riku and Tikal should never give up ether. "Tikal, don't lose hope! There is another way! I just know it!"

"I'd like to agree, but what can we do?" Luigi gulped. "He'll pound us in five seconds."

Tails then realized something. He remembered an important concept of the chaos emeralds. Tails spun his tails together and flew over to the grab a few of the emeralds. He then flew back and walked over to Sonic.

"Sonic!" Tails cried. "I just figured something out!"

"What is it, bro?" Sonic asked.

"The chaos emeralds' full power is used by one with a pure of heart." Tails explained. "And Chaos isn't exactly a good egg."

"Of course!" Knuckles gasped in realization. "When Chaos absorbed the power, chaos could only absorb the negative power because of the darkness in his heart."

"Do you mean the emeralds aren't worthless at all?" Amy asked with hope.

"Sonic should be able to harness they're true power." Tails concluded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Luigi cried. "Let's get those emeralds!"

The group split up and searched for the remaining emeralds. Cream and Cheese found two in the water while Knuckles found two on top of a building. Yoshi found the last one on another highway road. Instead of swimming across, he stuck his tongue out and grabbed it. The group placed the emeralds in a circle around Sonic who stretched out his muscles, getting ready for a tough fight. People hiding in the buildings came out and saw Sonic bravely looking up at Chaos. They then began to cheer him on and Sonic waved to his friends.

"Ready, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Before I do use them, there's one more thing to take care of." Sonic smirked. He then turned to Sora. "Hey, come here, Sora."

Sora curiously walked towards Sonic who was wondering why he wanted him. He walked into the circle and approached Sonic.

"What's up?"

"I'm going to need your help." Sonic said. "If we can combine our powers together, we can beat this guy in seconds flat. You up to it?" Sora nodded, knowing he would do anything to help. "Then hang on!"

The seven emeralds floated up into the air and began spinning around the two. Sora gasped in amazement as they continued to sparkle and spin faster. Finally, a bright light flashed the entire area. A light that was so big it could have blinded anyone. Everyone else shielded their eyes as the light brightened. The light finally dimmed down and the group opened their eyes.

The made shocked looks at what they saw. Sonic was glowing with a beautiful glowing golden aura. It glowed so brightly that the light reflected in the water from the brightness. Sonic's eyes have turned red, his spiky hair stood up on end and his entire body has become a yellow mustard color. Amy looked at Sonic with aw in hers eyes.

"Oh, Sonic," she said dreamily. "You look so beautiful."

Everyone then looked at Sora and were surprised at what they saw. His hair was also standing on edge, his hair became yellow mustard color, and his eyes became red. Luigi and Yoshi were amazed at seeing their friend this way.

"Shocking spaghetti!" Luigi exclaimed. "I didn't know you were a naturally blonde kid!"

Sora saw his reflection in a glass mirror, causing his eyes to widen.

"Oh, man!" cried Sora. "What happened to me? I look like a Super Saiyan!"

"A what?" Knuckles asked.

"Uh, never mind." Sora chuckled. "Did the emeralds do this to us, Sonic?"

"That's Super Sonic." Sonic corrected the boy. "And you're now Super Sora! We're faster then a speeding bullet! More powerful then a locomotive..."

"Able to annoy the heck out of you in a single bound." Luigi finished.

"Watch it, gramps!" snapped Super Sonic. "Or I'll blast you into next week!"

"Why you..."

Super Sora flew in front of Luigi, "Take it easy, Luigi! Besides, I think this is pretty cool! If Kairi saw me like this would she be surprised. And I bet I have superhuman strength, too!"

"Super Sora so cool!" Yoshi cheered.

"But why did you want me to help?" Super Sora asked the golden hedgehog.

"Because we can get a taste of the power anytime." Super Sonic responded. "I wanted to see how you liked it."

"It rocks!" Super Sora cheered with excitement.

The two then turned to see Chaos roaring at them. Knowing what they had to do, they flew towards Chaos who moved over to the water tower. Super Sora used a move called "Chaos Shield" which allowed Luigi and Yoshi to be protected in a magical shield and help them fight Chaos. Super Sonic also pointed out that for Luigi and Yoshi it would lessen the effect of doom. Now they would only faint from the spell.

Chaos let out an angry roar as the four flew at him. The beast fired mini energy waves at the four who flew in separate directions. Super Sora flew at Chaos with his keyblade out and tried to attack, but Chaos raised a tentacle and knocked him back. Super Sora spun back, but was able to catch himself. Super Sonic curled into a ball and knocked Chaos back like a bolt of lightning. Chaos landed in the water causing a huge splash.

He got back up and fired more energy waves at the group. Luigi used an ice spell to try and freeze the monster, but he simply dodged it and dove into the water. He created a huge wave that knocked the four back. Yoshi spat up some water and groaned.

"Yoshi hate water!"

Chaos returned and cast the doom spell on Luigi first. Super Sora noticed a giant number sixty appear above his friend's head.

"Luigi, you've got the doom spell on you!" called Super Sora.

Luigi looked up to notice the time had started going down, "Great garlic!"

Luigi used his stop spell on the giant clock to stop time. Knuckles theory was right as he noticed the numbers had stop going down. The group charged at Chaos again who fired a giant energy wave that rose out of the ground. The two supers used their energy to help move Luigi and Yoshi quickly past the attack. Chaos snapped at Super Sora who dodged it and quickly flew behind the beast. Super Sora used scan and detected an small core in Chaos' head.

It flashed a bright red color that was noticeable. The keyblade master tried to attack, but it had no effect on the core. He then noticed the core changing from a red to a blue. Super Sora then realized that the emeralds were made of magic and what best way to fight magic is with magic. Chaos turned around and snapped at Super Sora who jumped over the attack. He then fired his final blizzard spell at the core while he flew upside down over the beast's head. Chaos roared in pain from the damage.

"Guys, there's a core on his head!" Super Sora told the others. "We have to attack that!"

Super Sonic flew at Chaos at full speed. His golden shield turned white as he pushed more energy into it. The core turned white as Super Sonic collided with Chaos. The creature screamed in pain and fell into the water again. The group saw the core float out of the water. They quickly flew over and attacked it with Luigi punching, Yoshi kicking, and the two supers slashing.

A giant energy wave flashed from below and knocked the four back. Chaos quickly regained his formed and roared again. The time on Luigi's head was now at thirty because he forgot all about the clock. Chaos came at the group, ready to attack. He opened his mouth, creating energy from it and was about ready to attack. Suddenly, he dove into the water and quickly reappeared from behind, catching the group off guard. He fired the bean and it hit everyone. Super Sora crashed into a building which caused it to tip and fall over.

The building was falling over towards the others who were watching the battle. The group gasped as the shadow of the building appeared before them. Tails quickly grabbed Amy, while Knuckles grabbed Tikal. Cream and Cheese also became airborne and they flew off just in time. The building fell into the water, creating another giant wave that came towards them at incredible speed. Super Sonic, who just recovered from crashing into a pillar holding a highway together noticed this. He quickly flew over them and used his golden shield to create a giant golden wave. He then knocked the wave back.

Super Sora flew out of the water and threw his keyblade as Chaos fired more energy beams. The two collided, causing an explosion. Super Sora grabbed the keyblade and flew at Chaos again. The boy then noticed Luigi flying by. The doom spell now brought it down to five.

"Luigi!" shouted Super Sora.

Luigi looked up to see the timer was at three. He tried to cast stop again, but gasped in fear as he was out of magic. The spell reached zero and Luigi could feel his body losing control. He was losing his mental state and consciousness. The emeralds protected the full effect of doom, but Luigi couldn't comprehend this feeling. Finally, he fainted and slowly fell into the water. Super Sonic quickly grabbed Luigi and flew off with him. Chaos sent more of his tentacles at them. As he flew along the building, the tentacles flew out from glass windows. Super Sonic flew up and under the attacks that came at him. He even ran on some of the buildings.

"Aw, man!" Super Sonic said. "The things I do for you guys!"

Super Sonic flew up and over the building and quickly called to Knuckles. The two met at the top of another building and Knuckles took Luigi away. Super Sonic rejoined the others and Super Sora angrily pointed his keyblade at Chaos.

"You'll pay for that!" Super Sora snarled.

"Easy does it, Sora." Super Sonic calmly said. "We can't kill this guy!"

"Then how can Sora, Sonic, and Yoshi win?" Yoshi asked.

"We need to weaken him first." Super Sonic responded. "I know much about the power of the emeralds and I think there is a way to save him." Chaos growled as he looked into the creatures eyes. "I promise we'll save you, Chaos. Sonic the Hedgehog is not the type to break a promise!"

"Neither am I!" Sora nodded in agreement.

The group charged at Chaos again. Super Sora used stop to prevent the clock tower from moving again. Chaos fired another energy wave at the group, but they dodged it. Chaos put more tentacles out at the group who narrowly dodged them. The group got close to Chaos' head and they nodded to each other. Super Sonic and Yoshi stuck their tongues out at Chaos mockingly, who fired another energy wave. Super Sora quickly flew behind Chaos and saw the core was yellow.

It was up to him now that Luigi was out of the way. He fired his thunder spell at the core and Chaos screamed in pain. Super Sonic then curled into a ball again and charged at Chaos and knocked him down. The creature fell into the water, feeling enormous pain amongst him. The core flew up once again and Super Sonic put his hands out.

"Yoshi, get moving!" Super Sonic told the dinosaur. "We need you out of the way." Super Sora nodded to Yoshi who flew off. "Sora, concentrate your energy for one final attack. This should defeat the darkness from within."

Super Sora put his keyblade out in front of the core. He pushed all the energy he had into one giant ball. Together, they created a giant yellow ball that had enormous amounts of energy. It began to get bright from the energy it received. All of a sudden, something snapped in Super Sora's mind as if he was forced to say something out loud. As he said it, Super Sonic also cried out the exact same thing.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" they both cried.

The energy ball flew from them and went straight at the core. Upon contact with the core, a massive explosion occurred which broke space and time, causing a force of gravity to push town on the world. It then released the world and sent the two flying across the area. Luckily, they landed on a highway road. As they stood up, they felt the energy leaving their bodies and they reverted back to normal.

Everything began to settle down as the waves in the water moved slowly. The air remained calm and cool, and it was silent. The two caught their breaths from the intense fight. They then looked up at the sky, noticing how peaceful it was. Sora looked at himself in disappointment as he could no longer feel the chaos emeralds.

"What happened to our powers?" Sora asked Sonic.

"We put all our energy into that attack." Sonic explained. "We overdid it with the power. But that should be enough to free Chaos...I hope."

The two then noticed Tails flying over to them. He excitedly landed on the road and ran over to give Sonic a hug.

"You guys did it!" Tails cried happily. "You won!"

"Tails, I'm glad you came back to this world." Sonic smiled. "You knew you were ready to act when danger was around the corner." He then brushed the fox's head. "You didn't even need me to tell you what to do."

Tails blushed brightly as he looked up at Sonic. He felt like Sonic has given him more respect now and knew in himself he has matured. Tails finally found the confidence in himself to believe in what he was doing. He backed away and gestured the group to come with him.

"Come and see what happened." Tails told the two.

Knowing he couldn't swim, Tails grabbed Sonic and helped him over. Sora jumped into the water and swam over. Meanwhile, Yoshi was licking Luigi's face, trying to wake him up. The others were all smiling and watching something in aw. They turned to see Sora, Sonic, and Yoshi walk onto the road. Sonic's group ran over to him, cheering all the way and congratulating him. Yoshi jumped into Sora's arms and licked his face.

"Hurray for Sonic!" Cream cheered.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese also cheered.

Amy then knocked everyone out of the way and ran into Sonic's arms, crying her heart out.

"Oh, Sonic!" she cried. "You're okay my love!"

"Ah!" Sonic screamed. "Quick Tails, get me some disinfected!"

"Why?" a curious Tails asked.

"Because Amy's tears are dropping on me!" Sonic responded in panic.

"Don't be so hard on her." Sora said. "She was worried sick about you. Let her enjoy the moment."

Sonic rolled his eyes and groaned, "Fine."

"Can I kiss you my hero?" Amy asked with hope in her eyes.

"Don't push it, Amy." Sonic responded, moving his head back.

Sora used an elixir to wake Luigi up from his long sleep. Yoshi ran over and licked the plumber's face.

"Hey, stop that!" Luigi laughed. "Do you have to do that every time?"

Luigi stood up and wiped the slobber off his face. He walked over to Sora who smiled at him.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Sora said, relieved.

"Thanks, but what happened to Chaos?" Luigi asked Sora.

"Look over there." Knuckles said, pointing to the left.

The trio turned to see Chaos in his human like form. He was on the middle of a giant road and he looked around the area. He felt his heart has finally opened up and looked to notice the goodness around him. He then heard the voice of other creatures who were like Cheese. They all skipped happily over to the water creature without fear. They all looked up at him and squeaked at him. Chaos looked down at the creatures and slowly stroked one of their heads.

Knuckles smiled with assurance, "This is the way things be. Now that Chaos is good, we shouldn't worry anymore."

"Amazing!" Tails said, astonished. "In theory, Super Sonic and Super Sora must have combined their powers and neutralized the darkness within Chaos, so now it's nice again.

Tikal walked forward and nodded, "Chaos is finally free. All the sorrow and pain has lifted." She then looked down at the small blue creatures. "The chao have always lived with humans and now they can continue to live that way." She walked up to Chaos and smiled. "The fighting is over, the damage has stopped, and life is restored. Now we can live a peaceful life together." She then turned to the group. "Thank you so much. None of you will be forgotten."

"And we will never forget any of you." Sonic smiled.

Tikal flew into the air and gestured Chaos to come. The creature nodded and he with a bunch of chao flew into the air. A beautiful light surrounded them and consumed them. Sora smiled, knowing that Tikal and Chaos finally had a chance to start a new life together. Sora also found a crystal which updated his stop spell to its finally level. Sonic walked forward and sighed, knowing the threat was finally over. He then looked to his left to see Eggman escaping in his egg mobile.

Sonic knew his battle against Eggman would never end. But that wouldn't stop him from keeping on running. Tails walked over to Sora with happiness in his eyes. He felt more at ease now that peace has been restored.

"Thank you, Sora!" Tails said happily. "I'm so glad you helped out."

"Friends are always there for each other." Sora responded with a smile. "We were more then happy to help. And thanks to Sonic, too." Sora looked to notice Sonic was nowhere in sight. "Where did he go?"

The group then noticed Sonic jumping into the air and spinning into a ball.

"Up, over, and gone!" Sonic cried.

Sonic zoomed out of the area so fast that the water rose into the sky. Amy saw him leave and chased after him. Everyone else rolled their eyes and groaned. Sora's group and Tails said good-bye to everyone else, including Cheese who gave Sora a little kiss on the cheek. As the group left, they saw Toadsworth walking up to them with another familiar face.

"Greeting, masters." Toadsworth greeted

Sora noticed the familiar face was Navi, "Navi! If you're here to complain about why I forgot you..."

"There's no time, keyblade master!" she cried. "Please listen to me! I need your help!"

"Something wrong?" a concerned Yoshi asked.

"I feel a strange and powerful energy coming from Hyrule." Navi explained. "It's nothing I ever felt before. It's like a force stronger then Ganondorf!"

"Stronger?" Luigi gasped with widened eyes.

"Yes." Navi answered. "It felt like ever part of my body was paralyzed from this force." She then shivered. "I'm really worried about Link. I fear something may happen."

"It's like deja vu!" Luigi cried, putting his hands on the side of his head. "Can't we rest for a minute?" He quickly tried to think of an excuse. "What about the tournament? Don't we have to get there?"

Tails looked at his watch, "The tournament isn't going to be starting for another hour and a half."

Luigi got on his hands and knees, shouting, "Why must you torment me?"

Ignoring Luigi, Sora turned back to Navi.

"Never mind him." Sora said. He then made a confident smirk. "Don't worry, we'll check it out!" Navi flew around him with cheer and he chuckled. He then turned to his group. "But while we are there, let's not tell Link about Zelda. I think he might get a heart attack hearing about Zelda being a you-know-what."

"Got it." Yoshi nodded.

Finally complying, Luigi stood up and sighed.

"Okay." Luigi sighed. "I actually like the kid so I'll help, too."

"Tails, to Hyrule!" Sora commanded.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Tails said, saluting Sora.

The group boarded the Toad Express and Tails got to the control panel. He pressed the buttons and started the engine. The Toad Express took off again into the darkness of space. Tails used the warp drive feature and brought the group back to Hyrule. To see if Hyrule suffered the same fate as Station Square, Sora looked out the window.

Sora noticed, unlike Station Square that the world has begun to rebuild itself now that Ganondorf no longer had tyranny over it. At first he thought there was no problem, but just to be sure he continued to look over the world. The trio saw no sign if anything wrong and were starting to get the sense that Navi may have been wrong. The trio then looked up and made looks of fear at what they saw. A giant moon with sinister eyes and a sinister smile was looking down on the world. Even worse, it was descending into it.

"Oh..." Sora began.

"...my..." Luigi continued.

"...goodness!" Yoshi finished.

"What on earth is that?" Navi cried.

"It looks like a moon of some sort." Sora said, observing the strange moon. "I think we might have a problem."

"Yeah, my sleep won't be pleasant tonight after seeing that face." Luigi shivered.

"No!" snapped Navi. "Something terrible might happen if we won't do something. Please, I beg you!"

Luigi groaned, "What are we? Everyone's babysitter? Can Link take care of this by himself?"

"But Luigi..." Sora tried to point out. "It's not nice to..."

Luigi put his hands on his ears, "Okay, okay! We'll go! I just can't stand to hear that speech again!"

Sora chuckled and the group disembarked. The group arrived back into the field of Hyrule, noticing things weren't right. The ground was slowly shaking and ruble began to float in the air. The group looked up and saw the moon, slowly dropping towards them. They felt their stomachs drop like a rock as the moon came closer to them. They felt the earth lightly shake before their feet.

"Man, that face sure is creepy!" Sora said, commenting on the moon.

"Hello!" called a singy-songy voice.

The group turned to see the Happy Mask Salesmen approaching them.

"Speaking of creepy faces..." Luigi gulped.

The man walked up to the group and put his hands on Sora's shoulders, making the boy feel uncomfortable.

"Greetings my dear friends." the man chortled. "I come for the end of the world celebration. Discounts on all of my masks." Sora then noticed his hands were gripping his shoulder. "In speaking of masks..." The man then made his evil scary face and shook Sora. "Where is my mask?"

"Mommy!" shouted Sora.

Luigi quickly ran in and separated the two of them. Sora was about to curl into a ball again, but Yoshi stopped him and licked his face. Luigi slapped the man in the face.

"I don't care anymore about your creepy face, just relax already!" Luigi shouted, fed up with the man. The man rubbed his face and began to chortle again. Luigi was shocked to see the man recover so fast and change back to a happy mood. "Okay, now you're starting to really scare me."

"Ho! Ho!" the man laughed. "Forgive me, but Majora's Mask somehow has been misplaced."

"That mask is nothing but trouble." Luigi sighed. "I knew it was up to something. Maybe it's responsible for the moon."

"Luigi think so?" Yoshi asked in shock.

The group then heard a horse galloping. They turned to see Epona running up to them. She ran over to Sora and nudged him.

"Hey, Epona!" Sora said happily. "It's so good to see you again!"

Navi then saw Link running up to the group. She excitedly ran over to him and spun around him. Tears were streaming down her face as she was happy to see her friend again. Link was happy yet surprised to see his little companion.

"Link!" she cried. "You're okay!"

"Navi!" cried a surprised Link. "I didn't expect you back so soon! Did you get home sick?"

"I felt something was wrong and then I thought of you." Navi explained. "I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"Don't worry about me." smiled Link. "I'm okay, Navi. After all I am the hero of time." Link then walked over and shook Sora's hand. "Good to see you guys again. I figured you guys would help out."

"Well, most of us." Sora chuckled, referring to Luigi. He then made a serious look. He wanted to make Link feel a bit at ease about Zelda. "We found Zelda!"

Link gasped in excitement. Zelda was finally safe and sound. He didn't have to worry anymore. But something wasn't right. He looked around to see no sigh of the princesses of Hyrule anywhere.

"Where is she?" Link asked, looking around.

Yoshi was about to say something, but Luigi cut him off.

"She's fine, but she said she needed to take care of something." Luigi butted in.

"Like what?" a suspicions Link asked.

"She didn't say." Sora lied. "But she said she'll return as soon as possible."

Link nodded, knowing he could take Sora's word for granted.

"Thank you." Link nodded with appreciation. "I feel a lot better." He then looked up at the moon. "But we now have a new problem. That moon appeared three days ago."

"That's what the legend of Majora's Mask said." the happy mask man said. "That the one who released the power of the mask shall curse the land. A moon of tremendous power shall destroy the world within three days, unless the curse of the mask is defeated."

"What?" everyone cried in shocked.

"And there's even more bad news." Link added. "It's been two days, twenty three hours, and fifty minutes."

"Boy you're very sophisticated, aren't you?" Luigi said sarcastically.

"Eh, kind of got board." Link shrugged.

Sora thought it through in his mind and realized something horrible, "We only have ten minutes!"

"Exactly!" Link nodded. "We have to beat this thing or else Hyrule is doomed. I'm going to need your help, guys!"

Link then jumped onto Epona's back and the others shrugged and jumped on as well. Epona neighed and lifted her feet into the air and then back down. She could feel something funny, like something was wrong. The disturbance made her feel like she needed to go near it. The horse then took off with the four.

"Where is she taking us?"

"I don't know!" Link shrugged. "I think she may know where the mask is. We better keep riding!"

"Well she better hurry up!" Luigi called from the rear of the horse. "I don't enjoy sitting back here you know."

"Ironic how you always end up at the end of things." Sora chuckled.

"Be quite!" Luigi snapped.

Epona continued to gallop at top speed, nonstop throughout the entire field of Hyrule. As the group got closer to the moon they felt their body temperature rise from the head of the moon. It's crests gave off yellow glowing aura as it got closer. The group was determined to stop the moon from falling at all cost. As they finally arrived, the ground began shaking very hard and fast. Epona neighed in fear and went up on her legs, causing the group to fall off. The horse quickly fled the area as the place continued to rumble.

Yoshi became frightened and hugged Sora's leg. The group felt like the earth was ready to shatter right before them. They then noticed a light flashing out of the mouth of the moon and onto the ground. Little specs of light formed around the group, creating an impassive and impenetrable wall. As the light dimmed, the group recognized the multicolors of the evil mask. It was Majora's mask and it floated up and spotted the group.

"There it is!" Link cried. He bravely took out his sword and got ready to fight it. "We're not going to let you win!"

Sora drew his keyblade and got into position. The others got ready as well. The mask simply laughed at the group, feeling sorry that they had to face against an indestructible thing such as itself. The mask spun around and cast a spell on Sora and Luigi.

"What the-?" Luigi began.

Three triangles surrounded the two and brought their grip in on their chest. It didn't hurt them, but it did cause them to feel something funny.

"Something is wrong with my magic." Sora said worryingly.

"Me too." agreed Luigi. He tried to fire thunder, but had no luck. "It disabled our magic. Why that little..."

The mask spun and quickly flew at Luigi, tripping him. He quickly got back up and switched to flood. He squired water, but the mask continued to dodge the attacks. His teeth gritted, getting an annoyed by the mask. Sora and Link ran at the mask and tried to swat at it, but like a little fly dodged it. It flew into the air and fired dark purple energy balls.

The group braced themselves as they took the hits and fell to the ground. Link got to his feet and fired his arrow at the mask, but it dodged the attack again. Sora jumped into the air and swatted at it and missed again. It then spun on the ground and fired more energy balls, this time in all directions. Yoshi ate some of them, while Luigi sucked some of them in. Sora and Link knocked them away with their swords.

It then spun at their chests and knocked them all down. The group tried to get up, but were already weakened by the mask. What made it harder was they couldn't use curaga, thanks to magic disabled.

"Navi was right!" Sora chuckled weakly. "He is harder then Ganondorf."

"I have a feeling he's only warming up." Link said nervously.

"We running out of time!" Yoshi cried. "Scary moon going to fall soon!"

Knowing they couldn't quit, they got to their feet and ran at the mask again with all their might. The mask laughed and tried to trip them, but this time they jumped over. The mask quickly spun back and knocked Sora into Luigi and Yoshi. An idea finally aroused upon Link and he took out his hookshot and fired it at the mask. The hook stabbed the mask, causing it to scream in pain. But the best part came as the hook reeled it in, like a fish on a hook.

Link grabbed it and struggled with it. He then slammed it onto the ground and slashed it. Finally weakened, the mask couldn't fight back. Sora and the others came and rapidly attacked the mask, not giving it a chance to fight back. The mask then spun and knocked everyone back. The four stood up and looked as the mask floated and stared at them. They sweated nervously, wondering what it was planning.

The mask then got engulfed in a bright light. Small red whip like arms formed on the sides of it's face and small legs formed at the bottom of it. A small eyeball appeared above it's head and it let out a small giggle. The group also noticed that their magic was no longer disabled. Luigi used curaga to recover everyone. Sora looked oddly at the new form of the mask.

"Guess Link wasn't kidding when he said it was warming up." Sora said, looking at the mask with a raised eyebrow. "But at least we have a better chance of hitting it now that it's not as small."

Sora gripped his keyblade and ran at the mask. As if like lightning, the moment Sora swiped, the mask dodged the attack and ran at super speed around the area and snapped it's arm at Sora's back. The boy screamed in pain from the damage. He never felt anything that painful. It was so painful he thought he was going to cry from it. Sora fell over and held his back. Luigi used curaga on Sora and he stood up, feeling the pain lessen.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Link asked concerned.

"I am now." Sora groaned. "But man, I never felt pain like that. And he moved like lightning!" He then noticed the mask running behind the others. "Duck!"

The trio ducked just in time to dodge the attack. The mask ran around, giggling all the way. Link tried his boomerang, but it missed. Luigi and Sora used magic like fire and ice while Yoshi used eggs, but to their dismay, not luck.

"Dang!" Luigi said in surprised. "For a weirdo he's fast!"

"Where's Sonic when you need him?" Sora sighed sadly.

The mask threw a punch at the group and they quickly dodged the attack. Yoshi got mad and threw eggs which were easily dodged. It then fired more energy waves which everyone dodged. Link used his shield to also block some. Sora and Link both attacked again, but their attacks missed and they quickly ducked to avoid the next attack. The two quickly grabbed each side of the mask's arms and threw it across the arena. They tried to kick it, but it quickly got up and ran around the room again.

"You'd think this guy would be sugar happy or something." Luigi said, rolling his eyes.

"I have an idea." said Sora.

He snapped on his Sonic Blade bade and dashed at the mask. Sora slashed through the mask, causing it to scream in pain even more. He then finished it with a hard blow, that tore a piece of the mask off. Luigi shot thunder and Link threw bombs, damaging it even more. Finally, the two stopped their assault as the dust appeared. The group waited in silence to see if they defeated the evil mask. Everything remained calm as the wind blew lightly throughout the area. The group could hear the rumbling noise of the moon. It was still moving.

"It can't be!" Yoshi cried. "Mask still alive?"

"If the moon is still movin' then Majora's mask is still groovin." Luigi told Yoshi.

Sora rolled his eyes at the comment and looked at his watch, "Not good. We only have four minutes until doomsday. And I don't know if we can go one more round with this guy."

The group heard a high pitched screaming and Majora's mask resurfaced. It began shaking rapidly from the group's persistence. It's arms and legs began to get bigger and stronger and it formed a face with horns. Everyone's mouths dropped upon seeing the mask's new form.

"Oh, great." Link groaned. "As if we had enough trouble with the other forms."

"Come on!" Sora weakly convinced. "We can still do it!"

"But I don't think I can use any more magic." Luigi said tiredly. "I'm spent!"

"Then I know someone who could help us!"

Sora used the summon power to call Tails into battle. The fox quickly got to work on the healing machine and it began to recover everyone.

"Quick thinking!" Link said impressed.

The four shouted at the top of their lungs and charged once more at the mask. It swatted it's hands at incredible speed and knocked the four back into the ground. The machine continued to cure Sora's group as they ran at Majora's mask. The arm swatted at Sora who rolled out of the way and tried to counter, but it quickly tripped him.

It then wrapped it's arm around his leg and threw him into Link. Luigi used gravity, but the mask did the impossible and grabbed the ball and sent right back at Luigi. He took the hit and weakly fell over.

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and tried to grab the mask, but was knocked aside and crashed into Tails' machine. It exploded and Yoshi went flying into the air and landed right beside Luigi. Tails retreated with the machine and Sora angrily charged at the mask again. He jumped into the air and brought his keyblade down hard, but the result was a slap in the face. Link fired hundreds of arrows at the mask only to have them deflected right back at him.

Link ducked under the attack and ran at the mask again. As it attacked, he put up his shield to block the attack and jumped over it's arm and almost slashed it. The mask grabbed Link and threw him back. It then wrapped it's arm around a weaken Sora and spun him around the area. Sora was too weak to even fight back anymore. He felt like giving up at this point when he heard Kairi's voice.

"Sora, use the oathkeeper!" called Kairi.

Sora went through his pocket and equipped the keychain. Somehow it gave him the drive to fight again. He furiously grabbed the arm and threw Majora's mask over his shoulder, slamming it onto the ground. Link quickly charged up his sword and struck it hard. The mask tried to counter, but both quickly slashed the monster. Link charged up his attack as did Sora. The mask was so angry and blinded with rage that it ran at the two. The duo finally unleashed a powerful magical slash which hit Majora's mask so hard, it started to scream in pain.

Light extracted from every side of the mask as it was finally defeated. It began shaking rapidly and lights continued to come out of it. Sora and Link both grabbed the mask and threw it right into the moon. Upon contact, the moon exploded into a million pieces. The two fell lightly onto their backs and sighed with relief. A beautiful shower emerged from the moon and were watching the blue light streams fall down onto the earth.

"We did it." Sora said softly. "We won."

"Thanks to you." Link chuckled weakly. "You guys made a huge difference for me."

"All in a days work." Sora chuckled.

Using his magic, Sora cured Luigi and Yoshi. He explained the whole thing about beating the mask and they returned back to the Toad Express. Sora also received another Ansem report for the battle. Upon arrival at the Toad Exprees, the group ran into the Happy Mask salesman who was happy as usual.

"Hello, gentlemen." the man chortled. "I see you defeated the moon and the mask."

"It was nothing really." Sora blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"What happened to the mask?" Link asked.

The man pulled out the mask and showed it to them. Luigi and Yoshi screamed and jumped into Sora's arms with fear.

"Relax, guys." Sora laughed. "I don't think it can harm us anymore."

"Right you are." the man agreed. "When you defeated the mask, the darkness left it. It's worthless now." He then chortled. "But it will still make a good sale for my customers. I thank you four and hope we shall meet again. Farewell!"

The man walked away and laughed merely into the sunset. Luigi sighed with relief and sat down.

"I hope the next time we meet he has a bag on his head." Luigi said to himself.

Sora turned to Link, "Well, I guess it's time for us to get going too. We have something important to attend."

Navi flew over to Link and flew around him.

"I'll miss you." Navi said sadly. She then kissed Link on the cheek, which caused him to blush. "Don't go getting into trouble now."

"I won't." Link chuckled. He then shook Sora's hand. "Be careful, Sora. I have faith in you. And tell Zelda I miss her."

"No prob." Sora nodded. "You're a brave guy, Link. We'll always remember you. And who knows, maybe we'll meet again someday."

"Maybe."

The trio said their good-byes to Link and his horse as they boarded the Toad Express. Sora told Tails to head to the coliseum right away, before anymore summons needed a request and Luigi would have a panic attack. Toadsworth sat back in his seat and looked out the window.

"Quite an amazing day you had masters." Toadsworth said. "Well, we still have time to kill. What should we do?" He then turned to notice the trio had fallen fast asleep. They were exhausted from all the fighting. "Hm, a nap doesn't sound like a bad idea."

The old mushroom yawned and sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi deserved a nice rest after their crazy day of fighting masks and water. But they knew that their day has only begun. It was now onto Pokemon Coliseum and onto the biggest challenge ever.


	31. A Rocket Rumble

**Chapter XXX: A Rocket Rumble**

Awhile had passed ever since the group's encounter with Chaos and Majora's Mask. Exhausted, the trio took a rest for awhile. Sora was dreaming about when he was younger. The night was beautiful and calm. Sora looked out at the stars and they were beautiful. As a child, he was a big dreamer and he fantasized about what was beyond the stars in space. He wanted to travel to far off places with his childhood friend Riku, who was always there for him.

One night he snuck out of his house. A beautiful meteor shower descended from the sky. It's magnificence lightened up the dark sky and made the boy curious by it. Sora went off to the island by himself, without stopping to think. As he arrived on the island, he felt a chill coming down his spine from the cool breeze.

"That's the last time I come here without a jacket." Young Sora grumbled.

He sat on the beach and watched the shower from a close view. He never seen something that amazing before in his life. He then noticed something moving on the beach. Slowly getting up, he bravely walked towards the water. He wasn't afraid and was ready for anything. He then noticed something very strange. It was a lifeless body of a young girl. Her red hair blew in the wind as the boy approached her. He gasped in surprise as he saw the girl lying there.

He tried to budge her, but he couldn't. To his surprise, the girl was still breathing. Sora bent down to her and looked into her eyes. She slowly opened them to noticed the spiky haired boy looking at her. She tried to move towards the boy, struggling all the way. She felt num and was holding onto consciousness.

"Help." she whispered weakly.

Sora tried to grab her hand, but then a the blue water turned into a dark wave. It surround the boy from all corners. He tried to run, but was caught off by every corner. He then heard the manically laughing of a familiar person.

"You foolish boy!" Ansem laughed. "Do you really think you can save her? Do you think you can save everyone?"

"What do you want from me?" a frightened Sora asked.

He ran to the secret place to hide from the dark wave. He was completely petrified with fear as he ran and crawled through the hole. Inside, he ran to the brown door at the end and pressed his back against it. He was hyperventilating, tears were rushing down his face, he became too frightened to move. The wave of darkness slithered it's way into the area like a snake. The darkness then flew into the air and began to stock it's pray.

"What do I want?" Ansem said. "I want your heart!"

The darkness charged right at Sora with full speed. The boy screamed in fear as the darkness hit him right in the face. Finally, Sora awoke from his nightmare, gasping with fear. He slowly panted as he began to calm down from his nightmare. His heart was beating rapidly and he was sweating. He touched his face to see that he was okay. Sighing with relief, he sat back in his seat. He looked to see the others were still asleep.

Sora knew he lost his mind. He was thinking too much about Ansem and what awaited him. He then relaxed, knowing it wasn't time yet to face him. He still had a tournament to win and wasn't going to let some demented madman get the best of him. Tails's voice was then heard on the intercom.

"Ding dong!" shouted Tails. "Get up fellas!"

The others finally began to wake up. Luigi yawned and smacked his lips. He then looked over to see Sora.

"Hey, kid." Luigi said. "Glad to see you're awake. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." nodded Sora. He tried to remain calm after his incident. "How about you?"

"Eh, a little drowsy." Luigi responded. "It's not easy getting an hours worth of sleep after fighting water and a mask. I never even knew I could fight those type of things."

"Hey, we're approaching the Coliseum!" called Tails on the intercom. "You guys better get ready."

Sora and Luigi both nodded to each other, excited about the tournament. The group woke Toadsworth and Yoshi up and started to prepare. The trio stretched out for a bit, warming up before their first battle in the finally round. Luigi tried to bent over and touch his toes. As he did, he felt a pain in his back.

"Ooh, I think I pulled something." Luigi groaned.

Sora and Yoshi both helped Luigi back up and continued getting ready. The Toad Express landed right outside the way to the Coliseum. Sora stretched his arms out as he joined his two friends at the door. Toadsworth also walked over and joined the group.

"Masters, I shall be joining you as well." Toadsworth announced. "I want to get in on the sights of the Coliseum, the smell of the hotdogs, the roaring of the crowd..."

"Uh, sure." Sora said, stopping Toadsworth from going into detail. "We'll go together. It will be fun!"

Tails also decided to come along and watch the action as well. The five left the Toad Express and headed towards the tournament gates. As the group reached the gates they got stopped by officer Jenny.

"Hold it, folks!" she said, stopping the group. "You're team Sora, correct?" The group nodded. "Well, I can't let you in."

"How come?" Sora asked.

"Just look in the gate." Jenny said, gesturing Sora towards the gate.

Sora looked inside the gate and gasped at what he saw. A bunch of screaming fans were awaiting their arrival, holding signs over their heads. Luigi cleared his throat and tried to act proper.

"Well, this is a surprise." Luigi chuckled. "They must have all came here for me. They can't resist this stud muffin."

Sora rolled his eyes, "They're here for all three of us."

"Actually, they're all here for your dinosaur buddy." Jenny told the group. Sora and Luigi's mouths dropped wide open in shock. "What did you expect? He's young, cute, sort of like a team mascot and the kids love him."

Sora noticed the signs actually said "We love Yoshi and Go Yoshi." Yoshi blushed at the fans.

"So, they're all here for Yoshi?" Sora asked, a little disappointed.

"No, there are some fan girls here for you and Luigi's got a few fans too." Jenny said.

Luigi noticed his fans were only a few Pokemon holding a "Go Luigi" sign. Sora and Tails fell on the floor, laughing hysterically. Luigi got red in the face and put his hands his pocket.

"Man, just when I thought I could get away with being the popular one, I'm still in the shadows." Luigi grumbled. "It's like a curse that must happen to the younger siblings of Mario brothers."

"Aw, it not so bad." Yoshi said, comforting his friend. "Yoshi is Luigi's number one fan."

"Gee, thanks kid." Luigi blushed, smiling at Yoshi.

"But Yoshi way popular then Luigi." Yoshi sang mockingly.

Luigi grumbled again. Sora chuckled and turned to the officer.

"Hey, uh, do you think you can help us get into the stadium?" Sora asked. "Our match is beginning soon and we're going to be late for our very important date."

"Hey, you're a poet and you didn't even know it." Luigi said, realizing what Sora said.

"Sure, just follow me around back." Jenny said with a nod.

The officer led the five to the back of the stadium. In the back was a red door with a diamond glass window on top of it. Jenny opened the door and let them all the way through a garbage area. The group noticed trash bins all around the area. The smell was simply hideous as the group walked passed it. It smelled like old gym socks, rotten eggs, and other old and smelly items. Sora also noticed recycling bins in the room. He figured this must be the storage for the garbage that's picked up from the game.

"Smelly sausages!" cried Luigi. "This smells worse then my Nona's twenty day old meat sauce."

"Twenty days?" Sora asked, disgusted. "Who keeps food around for twenty days?"

"My Nona used to forget about cleaning out her refrigerator." Luigi responded.

Sora shuttered at the thought and continued walking. The group finally exited the room and arrived in the lobby. As the door closed, one of the trash cans began moving around the area. It hopped around the room, trying to find it's way somewhere. It continued hopping around and hit a wall. The trash can fell over and Team Rocket fell out of it. The three were covered in garbage and laid dazed and smelly. Meowth stood up and brushed himself off.

"Okay, who is da bozo for coming up with dis idea?" Meowth yelled angrily. "Now I have to clean myself off because of you."

"And my hair is a mess too." Jesses whined. She then turned to James. "This is all your fault! I told you we should have attacked them from above. Now we have to defeat those brats the non cheating way."

"It wasn't my fault." an innocent James claimed. "Have I ever steered you in the wrong path before?"

"Let me see," thought Jessie. "The number of manholes we fell through was mostly from you, the time you had to buy so many Fourth of July firecrackers, which then blew up because you lit the match too earlier."

Meowth went on, "Or when you took a nap in da submarine and caused it to crash into an under water mountain. The time you had to have a party on the hot air balloon and you caused it to sink into the ocean."

"Oh, please, don't go on!" James cried in his high pitched voice. "I can't stand to hear about past failures anymore!"

"Well, stop acting stupid!" Jessie snapped. "We have work to do. You heard what the boss said."

"What did he say?" asked a confused James.

Meowth scratched James across his face, causing him to scream like girl.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Meowth snapped at James. "We got to make sure those three are out of da picture. It's going to be curtains for them. Da boss wants to make it to the Gold Match to take care of a personal matter. If we pull this off I'll be top cat again and you two will be loaded with money." He then began to fantasized himself on Giovanni's lap. He could already feel the gentle strokes of his boss, petting his head. Meowth would look at him with widen eyes and smile. He would then snicker at his evolved form and laugh. Jessie then grabbed Meowth's cheek and squeezed it. The cat felt the pain and hissed at the young woman. "Hey, what's da big idea?"

"Stop your daydreaming!" Jessie snapped at the cat.

"Hurry up!" shouted James. "We got to get rich quick and standing here won't help!"

"Luckily the boss was able to hack into the tournament system and add us in." Jessie said. "So now we have a shot at winning. Let's go!"

Jessie left and James followed. The purpled haired man went through his pocket and pulled out his golden pokeball. He was still having memory lapses as he couldn't figure out something very familiar with the Magikarp. He didn't know what to think at the moment. Shrugging it aside, he left with Jessie. Meowth began to leave, but he felt funny. It felt like someone was behind him and breathing down his neck. Meowth felt a bit nervous and quickly turned around. There was nobody, nothing, zilch, nada.

Meowth sighed with relaxation in his voice, knowing there was nothing there. The Pokemon left the room to catch up with his associates. Unknown to him that in fact he was being followed. It wasn't a heartless. It was a very cute, kitten like Pokemon. It had white skin, big blue oval eyes, small ears, a long tail, and rabbit like feat. It titled it's head with curiousness and floated out of the room.

Officer Jenny finally got the group to the gates of the Coliseum. Professor Oak, Ash, and Pikachu were waiting for their arrival. Pikachu excitedly ran up to Sora and jumped into his arms, licking his face.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Sora laughed. "Cut it out! It's nice to see you again!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried happily. "Pikachu!"

"Hey, Sora, Luigi, Yoshi." Ash said, greeting the trio. "Glad you're here. We thought you'd never show."

"Who us?" Sora chuckled. "We'd never back down from a challenge...except for Luigi."

"No way!" smirked Luigi. "I'm cool! I'm ready for anything! Bring them on!"

"Okay, the first guy you're facing is five hundred feet tall." Ash joked to Luigi. "His sword is about a hundred feet long and he'll pound you in seconds flat."

Luigi's eyes widened in fear and he began sweating nervously, "Um, I think I hear someone calling me."

"Luigi!" called Yoshi.

Sora chuckled and smiled, "Well, you don't need to go very far, do you Mr. Cool?"

"Hey, I could have sworn someone was calling me." Luigi said, trying to get out of fighting.

"I was kidding." Ash laughed. "Man, I can't believe you fell for that."

Luigi then laughed without enthusiasm, "Uh, I knew that. I was just playing with you."

"Sure you were." Tails said, rolling his eyes.

Pikachu fell on the floor laughing. Everyone started laughing as well. They didn't know why there were laughing now. Sora felt good with all the laughter in him. He felt like life wasn't complex and dark for the moment. He knew he deserved a good friendly competition now. Professor Oak walked over to Sora's group and smiled.

"You three have come a long way indeed." Oak smiled. "I'm very proud of you." He then chuckled. "Goodness, I feel like a football coach. You three are going to go out there and do your best."

"Do our best?" Sora gasped in surprise. "We're not going to do our best! We're going to win this thing!"

"That's the spirit, kid!" Luigi cheered.

"We're going to head out into the arena and sit in our reserved seats." Ash told the group. "The Professor had it set up for us." He then turned to Toadsworth and Tails. "And you're friends of his, right?" The two nod. "Then follow me and Pikachu. You can sit with us."

"Thank you, young man." Toadsworth said with a smile.

Tails and Toadsworth said good-bye wishing the trio luck and left with the boy and his Pokemon. Oak turned to the group again with a nervousness in his eyes.

"Be really careful." Oak said with caution. "A bunch of Team Rocket members have hacked into the system."

"Team Rocket?" Luigi asked in surprise. "You mean we have to deal with those three dumbbells?"

"Man, they act like they've watched an episode of Power Rangers with the poses and battle cries." Sora groaned. He then made a confident look "But we can deal with them."

"Good." Oak nodded. "And Giovanni is here as well."

"Yeah, we have a score to settle with him." an angry Sora said. "I can never forgive him for tricking us like that."

"Then this could be our chance." Luigi told Sora.

The group then heard the loudspeakers go off, "Would team Sora please report to the arena for their match?"

Sora nodded to his group and they nodded back. Oak smiled as he knew that the trio would be the ones to win it all. The trio were about to leave when Officer Jenny stop them.

"Also, the Coliseum hasn't been safe lately." Jenny pointed out.

"You think?" Luigi groaned sarcastically. "With all those fans out there..."

"No," Jenny interrupted. "The nurse from the Pokemon Center has disappeared mysteriously. I don't know why though. If you come across her please contact your local authorities."

"Yes, ma'am." Sora nodded.

Jenny saluted the trio and left to head outside. Sora walked over to a poster that said missing and saw a picture of a young nurse with long pink hair and blue eyes. Sora kept the picture in mind and hoped that wherever the nurse was she was safe. The trio headed into the arena, ready for their first match. They entered the arena to see screaming fans from all corners of the room. The trio arrived in the middle of the area and got ready.

The heartless appeared from the other end of the field and walked on. The flag man waved his flags and the match began. Sora slashed his way through heartless that he encountered from all worlds. The first few seeds they faced featured heartless they faced from mostly Isle Delfino to Planet Zebes. Sora used Sonic Blade to plow through the swarms of heartless while Luigi used gravity to knock them down. Yoshi ate some and spat them out at others.

A few soldiers spun their bodies at Sora, but he put his keyblade up and blocked the attacks. Gripping the handle tightly, he spun his body around and slashed them aside. Luigi used Aero to protect himself from the magic attacks of the Blue, Red, and Yellow space pirates. He then used his final gravity spell to bring down the heartless. Yoshi ate some and turned them into eggs. Sora grabbed the eggs and threw them at others.

The group continued to gain victories from their opponents as they battled through. Finally, they gasped excitedly upon seeing who their next opponent was.

"Hey, Yuffie!" Luigi called.

"Hey, fellas." Yuffie said, greeting the trio. "Glad to see you again. I guess you're my next challengers."

"Isn't Leon with you?" Sora asked.

Yuffie crossed her arms and frowned, "No!" She then complained. "I can't believe he did this to me! Of all the nerve! What dose Cloud got that I ain't got?"

"'Ain't' isn't a word." Luigi corrected.

"You know what I mean!" snarled Yuffie. "He had to change partners! The nerve of that Squall Lionheart!"

"YUFFIE, IT'S LEON!" called an angry voice.

The trio turned to see Leon and Cloud in the audience. Leon was upset and had his arms crossed. Sora gasped at seeing him.

"How did he hear that?" a shocked Sora asked.

"I have no clue." Yuffie said, shaking her head. Smiling, she turned back to the trio. "It doesn't matter because I can still beat you three."

Luigi stepped forward with bravery, "Yuffie, this time I want to take you on by myself."

"What?" Sora said in surprise.

"Hey, you did it with Pikachu!" Luigi pointed out. "It's only fair. It's just that I want to prove I'm a strong fighter. Not just use magic. Last time, Yuffie was tough. I only beat her because Yoshi helped me. But, I want to prove to myself I truly am strong."

Sora thought he could see fire in Luigi's eyes. He never thought he would see Luigi act serious for once and really wanted to fight. He has been a coward, a chicken, and anything else that could have been thought as scared, but growth was beginning to develop for the plumber. Sora nodded to Yoshi who nodded back.

"Okay, Luigi," Sora complied. "Go get her."

"Thanks." Luigi said softly back.

Sora and Yoshi headed for the bench seats and sat down. Toadsworth, who was right above him looked down at the boy in confusion.

"What's Master Luigi doing?" Toadsworth asked.

"He's out to prove himself." Sora said, smiling at Toadsworth.

"Go Luigi!" cheered Yoshi.

Yuffie giggled and got into a fighter stance, "So, you think you can defeat the great ninja Yuffie?"

"Think? Oh, I know I can beat you kid." Luigi smirked.

Luigi felt very confident as he took the P3000 off and got into a fighters stance. The audience roared into cheers, especially the Pokemon fans who were holding signs up saying "Go Luigi Go!" The two fighters felt nervous as they stared each other down. The room began quite and calm. Luigi could hear the wind blow through the room and he tensed up. Yuffie took out a ninja star and got ready. She was very excited and nervous like Luigi.

The flag man waved his flag and Yuffie threw her stars at Luigi. Luigi did a back flip over the star and stood on his hands. The stars were still coming at him, but he grabbed them by clapping his heels together. He moved his legs back like a rubber band and then pushed them back forward, releasing the stars.

"What the-?" Yuffie gasped in shock.

Yuffie dodged the attack and ran at Luigi. She threw a punch, but he blocked it. She tried to kick his face, but he quickly moved it back. He then punched back, but she blocked it. They then got into a melee combat, punching and blocking their attacks. Luigi jumped into the air and tried a round house kick. Yuffie back flipped, dodging the attack. As she got back up Luigi quickly jumped up and did a second kick, knocking her back.

Yuffie quickly got to her feet, double kicking Luigi in the stomach. Luigi did a one handstand and jumped back at the ninja. He kicked at her, but she ducked under the attack. Yuffie jumped up and threw flying kicks at Luigi who blocked the attacks with his arms. Luigi rolled behind her and rammed her into a wall. She quickly got back up and threw more stars.

Luigi bent his back and swung his arms around to keep his balance. He continued to bend his back until he fell over. Yuffie snapped her finger in disappointment. Sora just rolled his eyes.

"Man, I wonder how many times he had to watch the Matrix to get that move down?" Sora said to himself.

Luigi quickly got back up and shot fireballs at Yuffie. The ninja threw stars at each fireball and knocked them off course. The two charged at each other again. Luigi threw a punch and Yuffie grabbed his fist. She then threw him over her and threw him onto the ground. Luigi got back up and kicked again, causing the ninja to dodge it. She smacked Luigi aside into a wall. The plumber quickly kicked against the wall and flew back, trying to kick her.

"Got to be faster then that gramps!" chuckled Yuffie.

She side stepped his attack and hit him in the back. Luigi fell over and slid across the floor on his stomach. Yuffie then gave him an uppercut to the jaw, sending him flying into the air.

"Toasty!" Sora sang in a high pitched voice. He then noticed Yoshi looking at him funny. "Sorry, always wanted to do that."

Luigi fell backwards and groaned. He felt weak from the ninja's assault and couldn't go on. As he stood up, Yuffie threw four stars which stabbed into pieces of Luigi's shirt. It sent him flying into a wall and the blade of the stars stuck to the wall. Luigi was stuck with stars all around him. Yuffie fired more at him and the plumber quickly ducked his head. A sense of defeat came over Luigi's faces as Yuffie approached him. Yoshi noticed this and stood up.

"Luigi no give up!" Yoshi cried. "Luigi can do it! Luigi just need to believe in self! If Luigi can find the true strength within, he can do it! Do it for Sora! Do it for Professor, Toadsworth, Ash, and Pikachu!" He then smiled. "Do it for Yoshi, Mama Luigi."

Hearing that gave Luigi the drive to fight again. He knew in his heart he truly was a strong person and deep down he wasn't afraid. Luigi struggled and broke off the stars. He took out a feather from his pocket. Sora recognized the feather from the storybook. The same one Baby Mario used. Yuffie started laughing upon seeing this.

"Okay, now you're-a-going down, ninja girl!" Luigi shouted.

"You're kidding me?" laughed Yuffie. "A feather? On, no! I'm so scared! Are you going to tickle me to win?"

Luigi smirked, "I wouldn't laugh if I were you."

Luigi held the feather into the air. A beautiful golden aurora surrounded him and the audience looked on in aw. The feather began to display various colors and it's energy warped around him. He flashed and a yellow cape appeared around his back. Yuffie was in shock. She never seen an everyday feather do that. Luigi ran at Yuffie again. She tried to throw her stars, but Luigi spun his body around which caused his cape to knock the stars back.

"That can't be!" Yuffie exclaimed with widen eyes.

Luigi jumped into the air and flew right at Yuffie. He rammed his head into her stomach and sent her flying. He quickly flew past her and spun his body around. His cape smacked Yuffie into the air, causing a juggle strike. As she came back down, Luigi's hands began to glow a fire green. He could feel the energy move from his body into his hands. He then jumped up and gave a hard fire punch at Yuffie. She went flying into the air, screaming all the way. Everyone looked up with their mouths widened.

Luigi flew into the air and went past Yuffie and was so far up in the sky he thought he was in space. He then took his off cape and held it with both hands.

"Finish her!" Sora called out.

Luigi flew straight down at Yuffie like a rocket ship crashing towards earth. Yuffie looked up and gasped in horror to see Luigi coming at her. Right there she knew she had lost the fight. Luigi rammed his head into her stomach and the two crashed into the ground, causing ruble to fly everywhere. Everyone covered their eyes from the dust and particles. Luigi jumped out from the dust and put his cape away.

The dust finally cleared revealing a worn out Yuffie, who had dirt stains on her and bruise marks. She weakly fell over and couldn't go on. The flag man held up his flag.

"Yuffie is unable to battle!" the man announced. "Team Sora wins!"

The audience cheered and roared. Sora ran over to Luigi and picked his arm up. Yoshi also grabbed on to Luigi's arm.

"The winner and champion of the world!" Sora cheered.

"Aw, thanks." Luigi blushed.

Yoshi then licked Luigi's face which caused him to chuckle. He really did it. For once he didn't mess up. He wished that his brother could have saw it. But Luigi knew he was there in spirit. Sora used his cure magic to heal Yuffie's wounds. She then shook Luigi's hand.

"Wow, that was impressive." Yuffie said, congratulating Luigi. "You beat me fair and square. Man, I misjudged you. You're a good fighter. Just do me one favor."

"What's that?"

"Now that you beat me, don't lose this competition." Yuffie said. "Because the guy who beat me never loses." She then walked off and gave the group a thumbs up. "One day I will get a rematch."

She then walked out of the arena. Sora smiled and turned to Luigi.

"Luigi, you were amazing." Sora told Luigi, proud of his friend. "Underneath that oafish, cowardly man is a real warrior."

"Yeah!" Luigi said, flexing his muscles. "I am macho!"

"Nacho?" Yoshi asked, licking his lips. "Yoshi love to eat a nacho!"

Sora started laughing while Luigi groaned.

"Macho, not nacho!" Luigi corrected.

"Oh," Yoshi said in realization. "Can Yoshi still have a nacho anyway?"

Luigi sighed and left the arena. The two followed him and took a ten minute break. The group did what they could to got ready. They got a drink and stretched out again. During the time they were heading towards the arena, Sora could have sworn there was something following him. The boy quickly turned around and saw nothing. Shrugging his shoulders, he left to meet up with his friends. The strange cat creature appeared again and giggled to itself.

Sora and his friends arrived back and entered another round of heartless bashing. The group began to remember all of the worlds they've visited as the heartless types reminded them. They battled their way through seed after seed of heartless. Sora put his heart into every attack, slashing the heartless as he went. He needed to push himself past his limits in order to become stronger for everyone's sake. Luigi and Yoshi also battled their hardest, using magic and fierce attacks at their disposal. They battled their way through a few more seeds, slashing heartless after heartless.

The trio felt much stronger, but began to get tired from all the fighting. Sora's group also encountered another old friend, Behemoth. The group ran at the giant monster and used the same strategy like last time. Luigi used his gravity to hit the horn and Sora jumped up and attacked it. Behemoth tried to use his thunder spell, but the group dodged the attack. Sora and Luigi used combined gravity magic and caused tons of damage. The monster screamed from the intense pain it was receiving. Yoshi fired eggs at the monster, but it used it's horn to break it. The beast jumped over the trio's heads and tried to slam down on them, but they quickly dodged it. The trio could feel the impact from the heartless' landing, causing a tough vibration.

The trio quickly ran on Behemoth's back while he was still bent over. Sora slashed at the monster and Luigi used more gravity. They continued their strategy until the monster couldn't continue fighting. It fell down and roared in pain from the damage. A heart flew out of it and it disappeared from the group's site.

"Victory goes to Team Sora!" the man announced.

Luigi began to do a football victory dance. Sora and Yoshi watched as their friend danced like a dancing fool. He even did the moonwalk which cause the audience to cheer even more. Sora rolled his eyes and the trio walked over to their friends. Pikachu was holding two small fans with red circles printed on them and wearing a white headband. He began cheering for them like a cheerleader.

"Pika, Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cheered. "Pikachu!"

Ash chuckled at his pokemon, "Oh, Pikachu." He then turned to Sora. "Wow! No wonder I lost! You guys are great!"

"You're doing well masters." a pleased Toadsworth said. "I remember when I was your age. I used to be a champion boxer."

"You...you were?" Sora blinked in confusion.

"Oh, yes," Toadsworth nodded. "Toadsworth the terrible they called me." He then stood up. "I may have a little energy left in me." He then threw a few punches, but he then bent over. "Ow! My spine!"

"Toadsworth, you're a senor citizen." Sora pointed out. "You're too old for that kind of stuff."

"Indeed, Master Sora." groaned Toadsworth. "I think I'll sit back down now."

Sora's group prepared for their next match. They walked back to the middle of the area and got their weapons ready. For a few moments, it seems the other team didn't enter the ring. Sora's group thought they would win by default when all of a sudden the area in front of them exploded. Everyone screamed and Sora's group shielded their eyes from the dust. The trio began coughing from the particles coming at them.

The trio then heard three very familiar laughs coming from the dust. Ash knew right away who it was.

"Not again!" Ash groaned.

"Pika." sighed Pikachu.

"Prepare for trouble..." Jessie said.

"Make it double..." James said.

The smoke cleared to reveal Team Rocket. James was holding a red rose in his hand.

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To untie all peoples with in our nation..."

Before they could continue, Team Rocket could hear snoring sounds. They gasped in surprise to see that the entire stadium had fell asleep. Everyone including Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi. Team Rocket got red in the face with anger.

"How dare they do that to us?" Jessie shouted, offended. "No one sleeps through the Team Rocket motto and gets away with it."

"Those twerps can laugh at us, throw us around, send us flying into space, but when you ignore the motto, you've gone too far!" growled James. "They are going to pay!"

"Wake up!" Meowth shouted, scratching at Sora.

Meowth's nail marks appeared on Sora and the boy felt the sharp pain from the nails. Sora screamed in pain which caused everyone to wake up. He covered his face from the pain.

"Ah!" screamed Sora. "You stupid feline! What the heck?"

"Dat is what you get for sleeping through the motto." hissed Meowth.

"Well, I think you guys are unoriginal." Luigi said, complementing the motto. "Why not make it short and sweat? How about 'Star light star bright, we are Team Rocket so prepare to fight!'"

James clapped his hands with glee and talked in his high-pitched voice, "Ooh, it sounds cool."

Jessie then bonked James on the head.

"You idiot!" Jessie snapped. "We stick to our motto and never change..."

"Listen, just finish your motto so we can fight." an impatience Sora groaned.

"Very well," Jessie said, clearing her throat. "To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

"Jesse..."

"James..."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light..."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James finished

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth added.

"So, what brings you three losers back here?" Luigi asked. "Here for another defeat?"

"Not this time you tall mustached man." James said.

"Such a good insult." Luigi said sarcastically.

"Listen, that's non of your concern." Jessie snapped. "We're following our boss' orders!"

"Well, when we're done with you three your boss will be next!" Sora declared.

James then pulled a Pokeball out of his belt. Unfortunately, he grabbed the golden one by mistake.

"You think so?" James laughed. "You'll never defeat our Pokemon! Go Weezing!"

James threw the Pokeball into the air and it popped out the Pokemon. Sora saw the Magikarp appear before him and began flopping on the floor. Jessie and Meowth smacked their foreheads, realizing James screwed up. Sora gently tapped the fish with his keyblade and it continued flopping on the floor. The trio started laughing and even the audience started laughing. Team Rocket blushed in embarrassment. Jessie grabbed James and shook him.

"I told you to get rid of that Pokemon!" Jessie screamed at James. "What kind of moron would hold onto a Magikarp?"

Sora stood up from laughing so hard and was ready to easily defeat the fish. All of a sudden, the fish began glowing a white color. Sora was confused as to what was happening. He turned to the professor who also made a nervous look.

"What's happening?" Sora asked the Professor.

"I was afraid of this." Oak said nervously. "That Magikarp is evolving! You see, when Pokemon reach a certain level they change into a more powerful form!"

"I fear what the result is." Luigi gulped.

The Magikarp got engulfed in a bright light and it's body began to change forms. It's body became longer like a snake like creature. It rose over everyone which caused a shadow. Sora's mouth dropped as the creature revealed itself to be a dragon like snake. Like a fish, he had a fin tail at the end. His body was a sparkly red color and had a fish like face. Team Rocket couldn't believe it. Magikarp wasn't worthless after all. Jessie and Meowth noticed James giving a "I showed you all look."

"See?" James laughed with glee. "I am smart! Bow before me!"

Jessie and Meowth bowed for James and kissed his feet. He laughed again with pride in his eyes. For once, he got respect from his group. Sora took his keyblade out and got ready to face the creature.

"What that?" Yoshi whimpered.

"That's a Gyarados!" Ash called out. "But that's not a normal one. There are rare ones that are sparkly red and much more powerful. Be very careful!"

"Don't worry!" Sora reassured Ash. "We'll beat him! Right, guys?"

He then turned to notice Luigi was sneaking out of the arena. Sora rolled his eyes, having second a thought about Luigi having any growth. Sora turned to Yoshi and told him to get him. Yoshi ran off and used his tongue to grab Luigi. He ran back to the middle of the arena, with Luigi grumbling all the way. The trio finally got ready to fight the giant beast.

"Get those twerps!" James commanded his Pokemon.

The Gyarados turned around and roared at Team Rocket and knocked them down. The Pokemon had no control. Sora feared it might go on a rampage so they had to stop it. The trio ran at the Gyarados with full power. It noticed the trio and quickly slapped them with his tail. The attack knocked them into a wall. Sora got to his feet and ran at the Gyarados. Luigi and Yoshi followed close behind, ready to expect the worse.

The Pokemon shot a fireball at the group, but Sora and Luigi used their ice spells to collide with the attack. The two struggled with the giant fire ball and were able to push it back. It fired more fireballs at the group and they quickly ran away from the attack. The trio jumped over the attack of another fireball and ducked under another. Luigi used his amazing jumping ability to reach its head, but it bit Luigi's hand, causing him to scream in pain.

"Ow!" shouted Luigi.

Gyarados spun its tail and created water tornados and sent them at the group. It hit them and sent them spinning into the air. The trio fell down fast from being sent so high in the sky. Yoshi tried some eggs, but Gyarados ate them. Sora quickly threw his keyblade at the monster, but it grabbed it with his mouth and spat it onto the ground. Sora quickly ran for his keyblade, but the Pokemon put its tail out, blocking his way.

It shot another fireball out which landed past Sora. He was confused as to why the attack missed that easily. He gasped in surprise as flames ignited from the ground and surrounded him. The giant firewall was so high that he couldn't even reach for a way out.

"Wasn't expecting that." Sora said. He then called to his friends. "Guys, help!"

Yoshi ran at the fire wall and tried to go through it, but Luigi grabbed his tail and stopped him.

"Hold up! You're not immune to fire!" Luigi said, scolding Yoshi. "Haven't I always taught you the importance of fire safety?" A flame from the fire landed on Luigi's hat and his hat bursted into flames. Luigi was still scolding Yoshi.

The dinosaurs eyes widened in fear, "Um, Luigi..."

"Don't interrupt!" snapped Luigi. "You got to leave fire fighting to professionals."

"But Luigi..."

"No, buts." Luigi said. "You always need to take safety precautions when dealing with fire!"

"Luigi!" Yoshi cried.

"What?"

"Your hat is on fire." Sora called out.

Luigi looked up to notice and then looked back down, "Now when ever your hat is on fire you should..." He then gave a double look back at the fire and panicked. "Freaky fettuccine! My hat's on fire! My hat's on fire!"

Yoshi quickly took the hat off and stepped on, putting out the flames. Luigi quickly used F.L.U.D.D to put out the fire around Sora out. The boy ran over to his group as fast as he could. He turned around to see the Pokemon looking down at him. Sora remembered that he could call the keyblade from anywhere. Sora focused his energy and called the keyblade into his hand. Luigi got angry at Gyarados and ran at him without a hat on.

Sora and Yoshi followed again. It fired more fireballs at our heros, but Sora deflected the attacks with his keyblade. One attack hit Gyarados in the face, causing it to scream in pain and fall over. The group took this chance to strike it with everything they've got. James began panicking from seeing his Pokemon get beaten.

"No you don't!" James cried, taking out a Pokeball. "Go Victreebel!"

Victreebel appeared out of the Pokeball and turned around, putting it's mouth on James' head. James screamed in his high pitched voice and Jessie and Meowth rolled their eyes. Gyarados roared at the trio which was ear shattering. It was like a nail scratching a chalkboard. The trio jumped back from the Pokemon and it stood up. It began to take an giant breath in. Sora could tell it was up to something.

Energy began to charge up in its mouth as it took a real deep breath. Sora gasped as the monster released a giant beam, which flew right at them. The trio quickly dodged the attack just in time. The beam caused a massive explosion with a giant light that brightened the area. The lights dimmed from the explosion and the group stood up and looked up to see Gyarados was flying in the air.

"I think we're in trouble!" gulped Luigi. "How can it even fly?"

"Why that's easy," James said proudly. "It's because...um...um..."

"This type of Gyarados as an ability called fly." Professor Oak interrupted. "He can now fly in the air, so watch out."

"It's not hopeless!" Ash called. "Gyarados can be weaken by thunder since it's a water and flying type!"

"Now where we going to find someone with thunder attack?" Yoshi wondered. He then noticed Sora and Luigi narrowing their eyes at him. "Oh, yeah!"

Gyarados flew at the trio, ready to attack them. Sora and Luigi used their thunder spells and zapped Gyarados. It felt so much shock in its body from double the damage of the two. Gyarados fell down and the group attacked it again. Sora slashed it, Luigi shot more magic at it, and Yoshi kicked it. The group were unimpressed with their opponent. He was too easy even after evolving. The Pokemon was not properly trained and it just threw its attacks at random times.

"He's losing!" James whined. "We're going to lose!"

Meowth then took out a remote control, "Not yet we're not! One push of the button and those three will be sent flying out of the ring!"

"Then press the button, quick!" Jessie shouted.

Sora used Ragnarok on Gyarados and rapidly slashed the beast. He then knocked it back with a powerful strike. Gyarados flew right into Team Rocket and knocked them down with its great weight. The impact cause the remote to fly right out of Meowth's hand and land on the ground. The Gyarados got up again and charged at the group. It was unaware that it was dragging Team Rocket along for the ride.

"Dis wasn't my idea of a slip and slide!" Meowth cried.

"Why are we always on the end of things?" Jessie whined.

"That's our careers!" James said in his high pitched voice. "At the end of things!"

Sora and Luigi got ready for the Pokemon's assault again. Yoshi curiously walked up to the remote Meowth dropped and looked at it. He then noticed a shiny red button on it. He tried to resist the urge to press it, but something was telling him it was the right thing. Finally, he got excited and pressed the button. As the Gyarados approached the middle of the arena an explosion occurred from the bomb that was underneath the arena.

Everyone looked up to see Team Rocket along with the Gyarados flying away into space. Ash laughed at seeing this.

"Ah, I can never get enough of Team Rocket blasting off." Ash laughed. "Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Team Rocket were high in the sky and Jessie grabbed James.

"This is all your fault!" Jessie screamed at her partner. "If you haven't been stupid, then this whole thing wouldn't have happened!"

James just started crying, "I want my mommy!"

"Relax, you two." Meowth said, trying to cheer his human friends up. "Look at the bright side; at least we get a bigger part in the sequel!"

"Shut up, Meowth!" the two humans shouted at their Pokemon.

They then noticed Gyarados roaring at them and they screamed off into the distance.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket shouted together as the flew off into the distance.

The flag man held up his flag and announced, "Team Rocket are outside of the arena meaning they have officially forfeited. Team Sora wins the round!"

Sora picked up Yoshi and put him into the air. Yoshi waved as the fans went wild. Ash and the others also hooted it out with cheers and yells. Meanwhile, outside of the arena Cloud and Leon were standing around, listing to the victory. Leon leaned against the wall and smiled.

"That kid impresses me every time." said Leon to Cloud. "He's truly developed his powers quite fast. I'm looking forward to another bout with him." He then looked at Cloud. He noticed a disturbance in his eyes. He could tell that the reason Cloud entered the tournament was still bugging him. "Listen, I can't guarantee will win. I know how much you want to..."

"We must win." Cloud whispered. "It's a nightmare that can't escape my mind. I must complete this task, for if I don't it will haunt me." He then turned to Leon. "Don't get me wrong. Sora's a nice kid and all, but I can't let him get involved."

"You're doing this for his sake too?" Leon asked quietly. Cloud nodded. "I see. I should warn you that Sora is not one to back down from a challenge so easily."

Cloud chuckled lightly, "I know. But I have trained for this moment. I have practice for days and nights. I am ready to face him again."

"Would Team Squall please report for their next match?" The PTA announced.

"What?" Leon said, baffled. "Team Squall?" He then smacked his forehead. "One of these days you will pay Yuffie."

Cloud chuckled lightly at the comment and left for the arena. Leon followed as well. Sora and his friends battled their way through more rounds of heartless, meeting more old friends from Hyrule to Hallow Bastion. They plowed their way through seed after seed. Sora's determination and leadership skills kept pushing them on. They battled through army after army of heartless, pushing themselves beyond their normal levels.

Another old friend made a return appearance, the Opposite Armor. However, it was the same as last time. The armor spun its body around at the group who dodged the attack. It continued to spin its hands like a giant circular saw. Sora bent his back to dodge the attack. Yoshi tried to eat one of the hands, but it knocked him aside. Luigi used the P3000 to suck it in. The feet then came along and smacked him aside.

The hands circled around Sora and tried to smack them together. Sora jumped over the attack and put each one of his big feet on each hand. The hands flew back towards the armor who was unaware about Sora. Upon arrival, Sora slashed at the chest, knocking the entire armor over. The group attacked the chest, but it quickly knocked them back with its hands. The trio got back to their feet and ran at the armor again.

It fired energy beams at them, but Sora deflected the attacks. It spun its hands around again and Sora struck it with his keyblade, causing the hands to fall down. Yoshi ate the hands and turned them into eggs. Sora jumped on top of the eggs and squashed them.

"Brings back memories, huh?" chuckled Sora.

"Sure does." Yoshi nodded in agreement.

Luigi used his stop spell to freeze the armor in its place. This gave Sora the chance to strike its feet with hard blows. When the time on the stop spell expired, the feet exploded indicating they were destroyed. The armor got mad and flew right at our heros. They quickly jumped for it and got onto the armor's back. The armor began to shake the trio around as if they were riding a bull. Luigi's face turned dark green from the shaking. He could feel his stomach churning.

"I don't feel so good." Luigi moaned sickly.

Sora quickly stabbed the armor in the back which caused it to roar in pain. It finally threw the group off and fired another beam at them. The blast hit them and sent them flying onto the ground. The group were weak from all the fighting, but Sora quickly used his cure magic to revive the group. The armor fired more attacks and the group ducked and jumped over the blasts. Sora picked up Yoshi and threw him at the armor. The armor was caught off guard by this.

Yoshi used his pound ground attack and crashed into the armor. Sora then threw his keyblade at it to double the pain. The group then attacked the armor head on and finally finished it off. The armor got dents and scratches all over it from their assault. It got engulfed my a magnificent light and vanished completely. The trio cheered for another victory. They were getting good at this.

Sora's group competed in a few more rounds, battling against more heartless. They got stronger from every battle they've faced. It even began to get easy for them. But who there next opponents were made them jump in surprise. Leon entered the arena and he was not alone. Cloud was with him.

"W-we have to face both of them?" Luigi stuttered in fear. He was about to faint when Yoshi caught him. "Oh, I can't go on."

"Relax, Luigi." Yoshi said. "Luigi just big worry wart."

"I am not a worry wart!" Luigi said angrily to Yoshi.

Sora walked over to Leon and shook his hand, "Well, I guess you weren't kidding when you said you would team up with Cloud."

"He's an old friend." Leon explained. "Plus, I wanted to fight you one more time." A tone of sorrow and sadness came before him. "This may be the last chance we get to fight, Sora. You've been a true warrior. You've become stronger then ever before. We shall return to Hallow Bastion in piece knowing that."

"So, I guess you came from Hallow Bastion too." Sora figured, looking at Cloud

"Correct." Cloud smirked. "But as I said...I've been preparing for this rematch. You three won't prevail this time, especially with an old friend on my team."

Cloud and Leon took their swords out, preparing for their final bout against their three new friends. Cloud felt sad knowing that he would have to face Sora one last time. Sora has taught him respect, friendship, and honor. Cloud no longer cared if he won or lost. He now just wanted to have fun. It's as if all the pain and sorrow Cloud felt was put into a balloon and lifted away. Cloud smiled at Sora. The boy could see the sorrow lifting from the warrior and got his keyblade out.

"Shall we guys?" Sora asked his friends excitedly.

Luigi finally agreed to help and joined his friend. Leon and Cloud both got ready as did the trio. Sora instructed Luigi and Yoshi to deal with Cloud while he dealt with Leon. The two nodded and turned back. The five felt nervous and excited at the same time, knowing only one team would win. The flag man raised his flag and announced the battle to begin. Sora ran at Leon while the duo ran at Cloud.

Sora attacked Leon who did a back flip handstand and dodged the attack. He slashed Sora in the gut, knocking him back. Sora ran at Leon who shot a fireball at him. Sora quickly jumped over the attack, catching Leon by surprise. Sora quickly kicked him from behind, knocking the man over. Leon quickly retaliated and slashed at Sora who side stepped the attack. Sora horizontally slashed at Leon who jumped over the attack and kicked Sora in the face.

Sora slid back a little back and clashed with Leon. The two struggled with each other, pushing back and forth. Leon quickly slipped the gunblade under the keyblade and knocked it out of his hand. Leon swiped at Sora again and the boy ducked under and slid across the floor and grabbed his keybalde and turned to block Leon's next attack. The two went into a blade lock with each other and pushed against each other.

Luigi and Yoshi ran at Cloud who dashed past them with his Sonic Blade. The two spun around from the impact of the speed and fell over. Cloud jumped into the air and brought his sword down on the duo. They quickly moved out of the way just in time. Given the chance, they quickly doubled kicked him across the floor. Cloud got back up and knocked them both down with his sword. Yoshi threw an egg at Cloud and the warrior slashed it in half.

Yoshi snapped his finger in disappointment, "He always get Yoshi with that!"

Cloud jumped over Yoshi and slashed him in the back. Luigi cured Yoshi from the damage and they both ran at Cloud again. Cloud crossed his arms and smirked with confidence. He knew he could easily defeat the two. As the two got close, Cloud prepared to jump in the air. When they were both ready to strike he jumped to avoid their attacks. Luigi quickly jumped up and gave Cloud an uppercut. He fell back down and gasped.

"They had that planned all along!" Cloud gasped in surprised. "Sora's friends still are a mystery to me."

Luigi tried gravity, but Cloud dodged it quickly. Luigi shot fire and ice at Cloud like crazy, but he jumped over ice, ducked under fire, and side stepped thunder. Cloud was too fast for Luigi to keep up with. Leon rapidly slashed at Sora who blocked every attack while walking back. Leon's attacks got fast and soon Sora couldn't block them all. Leon slashed at Sora non stop and grabbed him and threw him onto the ground.

"Give up yet?" Leon smirked.

"No way!" Sora cried with confidence.

"Heh, your still overconfident." Leon chuckled softly. "Some things never change."

Sora got to his feet and clashed with Leon again. The two jumped back and ran at each other again. Leon powered up his sword to his super mode like the last time they fought. Sora widened his eyes in shock and Leon thrust at Sora. The boy spun aside from the attack and quickly ran past Leon and gave him a roundhouse kick in the back. Leon fell down, but lifted himself back up.

Leon slashed at Sora from a distance who had to jump and duck over the intense thrusts. Leon shot another fire ball out of his hand and Sora blocked the attack with his keyblade. The ball pushed him back into the stadium. Sora still struggled with the attack and finally pushed it back. Leon blocked the attack again.

Luigi and Yoshi weakly fell down again from Cloud's intense attacks. Luigi was out of magic and potions to use to recover him and Yoshi. Cloud zoomed past them again and knocked them down. Luigi threw a punch at Cloud, but he easily dodged it and grabbed his hand, throwing him over his shoulder. He then picked up Yoshi and threw him into Luigi.

Leon brought his gunblade into the air and was ready to bring it down. Sora saw the flaw right there. He quickly threw the keyblade at the gunblade and knocked it out of his hand. Leon gasped in shock. He screwed up. A trained swordsmen who has practiced since he was a young age of twelve actually screwed up. He felt as if though he lost his touch. He realized that Sora has become the superior fighter.

Leon put his head down and smiled. Sora ran at Leon and was ready to slash, but he stopped seeing the look on Leon's face. Sora could sense defeat from the gunblade wielder. Leon looked up at Sora and smiled.

"Sora, I'm proud of you." smiled Leon. He felt like a father that has watched his child grow up so much. He saw massive growth in Sora and knew he would continue to grow up. "You truly are the keyblade master. And I surrender to you because I can't go on."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked to be sure. Leon nodded. "Thanks. You were a very good friend and opponent."

"Now, help your friends." smiled Leon.

Sora nodded and ran towards where Luigi and Yoshi were. Cloud was about to bring his sword down on them when Sora heroically dashed in and blocked the attack. Sora pushed Cloud back up and spun around, slashing him in the stomach. Luigi and Yoshi sighed with relief as they saw Sora knock back Cloud. The warrior slid backwards and put his hand on his side.

"Man, what happened to Leon?" Cloud demanded to know.

"He surrendered." Sora explained. "Now it's you and me!"

"Very well!" Cloud cried.

The warrior flew at Sora. The boy ran at Cloud and the two clashed their weapons together. The two clashed with each other rapidly. The two ran sideways still clashing with each other. Their swords gave a cling and clang as they clashed. They both did a sideways jump and still clashed with each other upside down. Cloud swiped at ground level and Sora jumped over the attack. He kicked at Cloud from the air who jumped backwards.

He kicked Sora in the stomach and sent him flying. Sora fell onto the ground and slid across the floor. He quickly got to his feet and ran at Cloud again. The two clashed together and rapidly slashed at each other, clashing and dodging their attacks. The clings and clangs could be heard from a distance from the intense blows. Cloud brought his sword down on Sora who jumped up to avoid the attack. The crowd cheered with excitement and energy that echoed throughout the area. They never witnessed such a spectacle of a fight.

Cloud quickly gave a thrust at Sora in the air. Sora quickly moved his side to the left. He was fast, but not fast enough as the edge of the blade slid across his shirt. Sora shouted from the sharpness of the sword and fell down. Cloud walked over to Sora who was on the ground. The boy held his side tightly and tried to ease his pain.

"You lose this time, kid!" Cloud smirked with confidence. "Time to end this match! And I won't hurt you badly. That I promise with all my heart. You fought well."

Cloud raised his sword and was about to bring it down on Sora. The boy knew that this was it, he was finished. He closed his eyes as he didn't want to see the attack. Cloud brought his sword down on Sora. All of a sudden, Yoshi and Luigi rammed their heads into Cloud and knocked him over. Sora looked to see his two friends helping up.

"I don't what I'd do without you two." Sora said happily.

"Probably be lost somewhere." Luigi joked.

Ignoring Luigi, Sora turned back to Cloud who weakly stood up. The warrior growled in pain. He had with the trio always making a comeback. Cloud powered up to his dark form and flew right at the group. He slashed at them and knocked them into the air. He then flew past them and hammered them to the ground. The trio crashed into the ground and slid across the floor. Cloud came down and was ready to kick them. The trio rolled out of the way, missing the attack.

Cloud's sword began glowing as he was ready for a final attack. Sora stood firm with his keyblade tightly gripped with both hands. His breathing felt heavy and his muscles tightened. He relaxed a little bit more as Luigi and Yoshi stood by his side. Cloud screamed and flew right at the trio. The trio charged right at Cloud and they both collided with each other. A massive explosion occurred with high winds and earthquakes.

The lights dimmed from the explosion and everyone gasped as they saw Cloud knocked against a wall. He was beaten badly. The trio's friendship and teamwork together defeated Cloud's powerful dark form. Cloud weakly got up, but fell right back down. He got beaten badly by the three friends. He knew he was out of the tournament. Cloud smiled knowing if he lost to anyone he was glad it was to Sora.

The man with the flag raised his flag, "Team Sora are the winners!"

The audience including Ash, Pikachu, Tails, and the professor cheered loudly as Sora gave a high five to Luigi and Yoshi in victory. Later, the group stood in the hallway of the entrance to the coliseum. Cloud and Leon stood before them with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulation," Leon said, honoring the trio. "You won fair and square. Now I know without a doubt you'll be the ones to bring about an end to Ansem."

"Aw, thanks." blushed Yoshi.

Leon then handed a keychain to Sora, "This is my Lionheart keychain. Use it when you need it."

Sora nodded and pocketed his keychain.

Cloud shook Sora's hand, "Your light is strong. Remember what I told you, Sora. Never lose sight of it. That's the path to a true warrior."

"I'm sorry I had to beat you." Sora apologized to Cloud. "I know how much you wanted to get to the Platinum match."

Cloud smiled to the boy, "It's okay. Perhaps, it wasn't my time yet. One day the time will come when I will face him." Cloud turned away and walked off. "I'll be watching your remaining battles. You better not lose."

"I promise." Sora smiled. He then eyed Luigi with a grin. "As long as Luigi doesn't mess us up."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Luigi asked angrily.

Cloud walked out of the area and Leon shook Sora's hand.

"Sora, I'll never forget you." Leon said, saying his final good-bye. "Be strong and may the good spirits guide you."

Luigi and Yoshi began to feel curious. What did Leon mean by "I'll never forget you?" They knew something wasn't right.

"Thanks for everything." Sora said emotionally.

Leon nodded and walked out of the arena. Sora wiped a small tear away from his eye as Leon left. He then turned to see his friends looking at him with concern and suspicion. Sora began to feel guilty for not telling them. He wasn't ready to reveal his painful secret just yet.

"What's the matter with you?" a concerned Luigi asked. "You're not hiding anything from us, are you?"

"W-wh-who me?" Sora lied nervously. "No way!"

Yoshi crossed his arms and lowered his eyes with disappointment. He could tell that Sora was lying to them. Yoshi saw the guilt in his eyes, knowing he was hiding something. Before Yoshi could act, the intercom went off and announced the trio for their next match. Sora sighed with relief, knowing Luigi and Yoshi were going to try and get him to spill the beans.

"_Oh, man, saved by the bell." _sighed a relieved Sora.

The trio left for the arena for their next matches with both Luigi and Yoshi keeping their eyes on their leader. Things began to get rougher as the heros battled more heartless. They came at them in numbers in every part of the area. Sora's group fought through vicious battles of every heartless they've faced. They proved to be much stronger then before. The trio screamed as they charged at the heartless, giving every hard attack, sweating and panting from fighting so much.

The group also encountered new heartless like Angel Stars. These creatures fired powerful energy waves while using their mighty wings to float in the air. Other situations for the trio included what seemed to be an endless fight against shadows. They also ran into more mushroom heartless while making their way down. Ash and the others cheered them on, giving them confidence as they went.

At long last the trio made it to the tenth seed. They were exhausted from all the fighting and couldn't go on. Sora fell down and landed on his back. It felt good to take a rest for a moment. Sora could feel his muscles ache from the intense fighting. He then looked at Luigi and Yoshi who were also exhausted and on the floor

"Mama-mia!" Luigi complained. "I can't go on! My body aches everywhere!"

"No pain, no gain, right?" Sora said weakly. "Come on! Just a few more matches! We can do it!"

The trio stood up again and took a few moments to stretch out. They have never gone through so many battles before. They felt that after all this they would be ready to face Ansem. The trio got ready for their next opponent and waited for a few moments. All of a sudden, the trio saw Giovanni and his pokemon Persian walk out onto the arena.

Ash and the other gasped to see the leader of Team Rocket appear before Sora's group. The audience began booing the man, showing their hatred for him. Giovanni gave a sinister smirk and ignored them.

"Well, long time no see, boy." Giovanni snickered. "I'm surprised to see you made it this far."

"Giovanni!" snarled Sora. He felt angry at the man for all he's done. "I've been waiting for this moment!"

"You're going to pay for tricking us!" Luigi shouted at the Team Rocket leader. "And no one tricks the brains of the group." He said, referring to himself.

"You mean Yoshi?" Sora joked. Luigi put his hands in his pockets and grumbled. He then turned back to Giovanni. "You've hurt too many innocent people and pokemon! Why do you do this?"

"Because I want power." Giovanni explained with an evil look in his eyes. "Team Rocket's mission is to collect the rarest pokemon and used their power to rule the world. I won't let three meddlers like you get in the way. I didn't need that foolish reptile's help to obtain power. In fact, I'm lucky to be one of the remaining villains who haven't met their end to your hands. For years my scientific resources have created powerful weapons to make even the strongest of pokemon fall." He then petted his Persian. "I have entered this tournament to gain access to the Gold Match."

"What's so important about that?" Sora demanded to know.

"I'm not one to share secrets." Giovanni said, denying to tell the group. "But when I do get there, I shall use its power to rule this world. It seems that those three buffoons have failed to defeat you. Then I shall be defeating you myself. Jessie, James, and Meowth have already been taken care of."

"What did Giovanni do?" Yoshi asked, dumbfounded.

Giovanni grinned, "Let's just say they're seeing stripes right about now."

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was inside a small jail cell in not too far from the coliseum. The cell was dirty and damp. It only had three beds with no mattress and a sink. Jessie and Meowth had their hands on the bars and were crying to get out.

"Let us out!" Jessie cried. "I'm too beautiful to be in jail!"

"I have twenty little Meowths to feed." Meowth said dramatically. "They always will wonder where there daddy is."

Silence was upon the room. There was no response to Meowth and Jessie's cries. The two then sighed sadly.

"I guess we're stuck in here." Jessie sighed sadly.

"Trapped like rats." Meowth added.

James put on a cheerful attitude and smiled, "We'll get out of here. Why don't we sing a song to past the time?" He then started singing. "Ninety-nine bottles of potions on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of potions. You take one down and pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of potions on the wall." James then noticed Jessie and Meowth approaching him with evil glares. James began to back away nervously. "Wait a minute! What are you doing? Stop!"

Jessie and Meowth both ran at James who screamed in fear. Crowds of people heard James' cries from outside the jail cells. Back at the coliseum, Giovanni smirked again. He knew that he would win the match. He has invented powerful devices and they have not once failed him.

"The heartless are no longer needed." Giovanni continued. "I can defeat you myself. I will be the one to defeat the unbeatable keyblade master and win Oak's little tournament."

"Really?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrow in quirk. Sora gave judgement upon the Team Rocket leader. He looked weak to him. Even Luigi and Yoshi thought he was weak. "We can beat you!"

"For the sake of everyone, take him down!" Ash called out. "Bring Team Rocket to an end!"

"Wishful thinking, Ketchum." laughed Giovanni. "And your Pikachu is next."

Pikachu coward behind his trainer who gently stroked his head. The Pokemon felt reassured and knew that the trio could win.

"Don't count on it!" Luigi cried bravely. "We'll beat you faster then pizza dough rising in an oven." He then noticed Sora and Yoshi looking at him funny. "Give me a break! It was the only thing I could think of!"

Giovanni laughed out loud, "Fools! Do not underestimate me!" He then went through his pocket and pulled out a black rose. The rose's stem extended down to the ground and he placed his hand on the rose. He held it up like a sword. "And that's only the beginning. I've been aware of your increase in strength. It's no surprise to me. Fortunately, my technicians have predicated it, and they've created new technology to deal with it."

Sora was confused. What did he mean by new technology? The answer soon came at him as he saw two floating machines coming out into the arena. One was red while the other was blue. Both were exactly the same. They had small wings on the side of them, a round area, a small round bottom with spikes, and an eye in the middle that acted as a camera. The two flew right at Sora and knocked him back, sending him crashing into the wall. Everyone gasped to see a giant hole appear in the wall as the result. Giovanni just laughed manically.

"SORA!" Luigi and Yoshi cried in unison.

The duo ran over to see if their friend was alright. Everyone was shocked at those machines. They were so fast. They caught Sora by complete surprise.

Giovanni petted his Pokemon and made an evil grin, "Well, it seems my new equipment is worth the considerable investment."

Sora weakly got out from the hole and groaned.

"Invest this!" shouted Sora.

Sora fired a magic spell at Giovanni who quickly called the machine in to block the attack. The machine fired electric waves at the trio. They narrowly dodged the attack. The trio knew what they had to do. They ran at Giovanni, giving it all they've got. Giovanni fired a blue beam out from his rose. Sora deflected the attack easily and leaped at the Team Rocket leader. Sora clashed his keyblade with the man's rose. Giovanni pushed Sora's keyblade down on him, but since Sora was stronger, he pushed it back up

Giovanni quickly dodged a horizontal slash from Sora. Giovanni proved he was very fast even for the keyblade master to keep up with. One of the machines sent a shock wave at the trio and knocked them back. Their body felt completely numb from the electric shocks. The trio quickly got to their feet and ran at Giovanni again.

"You fools!"

The two machines flew around Giovanni and fired electric waves out. The waves began to rotate clockwise around the arena. The group ran around the arena, keeping their distance from the two waves. The two beams then stopped and fired giant electric balls at them. Luigi used the P3000 to suck it in and fired it back out. The ball came back out as a wave and zapped the red machine, causing it to fall down. Giovanni gasped in surprise. Sora quickly stabbed his keyblade into the other machine, causing it to start sparking.

Sora then ran at Giovanni and slashed him aside. The leader of Team Rocket fell down, feeling the pain of the keyblade. Sora was about to attack the defenseless man when Persian pounced on Sora and knocked him over. The cat was about to scratch at Sora, but Sora bent his knees and kicked it away. As he got up, the blue machine knocked him aside. Yoshi fired eggs at the red one which was still fighting.

The blue one had a mind of its own as it dodged everyone of the attacks. It then rammed into Yoshi and knocked him back. Luigi used thunder to bring down Giovanni, but he dodged the attack. Giovanni threw the rose at Luigi who dodged the attack. The rose then landed right behind and stabbed itself into the ground.

Luigi stuck his tongue out at Giovanni, "You missed me! You missed me!"

"Are you sure?" Giovanni said with a confidence look.

Luigi looked at Giovanni in confusion. He knew that Giovanni had something planned. All of a sudden, as if lightning struck him, his back got zapped. Luigi felt paralyzing pain in his back from the attack, as his spine quivered from the shock. Luigi weakly looked back to see the rose sparking. Giovanni had that planned all along. Luigi fell over, landing on his stomach. He felt the pain in his back slowly go away.

The two electric waves from the machines followed Sora around the area. He jumped over one and ducked under another one. The two shot more beams at Sora who jumped over the attack. Giovanni quickly slashed Sora from behind, causing him to fall down. Sora felt the piercing pain from his back as he fell down. Giovanni took the rose and was about to fire another beam at him. Sora weakly tried to get up, but the intense damage took a toll on him.

Sora then heard a familiar voice inside of his head.

"_You better not lose this fight, kid." _Cloud said in Sora's mind.

Giovanni fired the beam and Sora rolled out of the way of the attack. Giovanni tried to bring down his rose on the boy, but Sora kicked at it, forcing the man to raise it up. Sora spun up and clashed with the man again. Giovanni couldn't believe his eyes at what he saw. How could Sora still be fighting?

"Why don't you ever give up?" struggled Giovanni.

"Yeah, the thing with that is giving up cramps my style." Sora responded.

"Cramp your style?" Giovanni scoffed. "Fool, I'm going to give you cramps all over. Team Rocket will live on forever!"

Sora was not going to let that happened. Pokemon didn't deserved to be tormented by this madman. Not for one second was he's going to hold back. Sora pushed back at Giovanni and quickly spun around and broke the rose in half. Giovanni got angry upon seeing that.

"Persian! Fury swipes!" Giovanni commanded his pokemon. He then noticed his Pokemon wasn't anywhere. "Huh? What gives? Where is that flea bag?"

Giovanni then heard a meow for help. The man looked to see a giant Yoshi egg in front of him. He noticed the egg was struggling. He also heard Persian cry for help. Giovanni was speechless, his pokemon was turned into an egg. Yoshi walked over and rubbed his stomach.

"Yoshi's tummy tickle from eating kitty cat." Yoshi said.

"You ate him and turned him into an egg?" Giovanni exclaimed. "How dare you!"

Sora kicked Giovanni and knocked him down. The trio still had to deal with the machines. The two fired more electricity at the group and Sora blocked it with the keyblade. Sora struggled with the energy and redirected the attack right back at the two machines. The two quickly dodged the attacks and flew to opposite ends of the room. Sora noticed they were slowly rotating around them. He then figured out away to beat them.

Sora quickly got his friends into a huddle and discussed his plan. The trio all nodded and got into circle. The blue machine charged up its attack as did the red one. Yoshi ran around the area and mocked the machines. The blue began to chase Yoshi around the room. Luigi got behind Sora and waited for his cue. The red machine fired the beam at him and Sora jumped over the attack. Luigi sucked up the energy and fired it at the other machine. The other machine fired its beam at Yoshi who jumped over the attack.

Both beams hit each machine at the same time and they exploded. Giovanni watched in horror as his inventions were destroyed. The key elements he needed to enter the Gold Cup. He was rich, he was powerful, how could three nobodies defeat him. Sora walked over to Giovanni and pointed his keyblade at him.

"I guess it's rockets away for you." snickered Luigi.

Sora rolled his eyes and ignored Luigi. The battle was officially over. The flag man waved his flag, announcing the victory of Team Sora. The audience cheered and roared. Ash hugged his Pikachu in excitement Giovanni put his head down in defeat. His dream of getting to the golden match was over now. His ultimate plan have come crumbling down like ruble falling from a mountain.

"It can't be," Giovanni whispered. "I calculated everything precisely as I planned. Giving the game plan, every detail and yet I still lost. I funned everything into those machines. How could a boy defeat me? After all that money process!"

"Dude, money can't buy the power to fight." Sora pointed out. "A true fighter takes discipline, determination, your own skill, not just some corny technology."

Giovanni was so angry. Here he was lying on the ground and he was getting advice from a kid. He had never been so humiliated in all of his life. He angrily tried to throw a punch at Sora, but his hand was grabbed by Officer Jenny.

"Oh, hello," gulped the Team Rocket leader. "What seems to be the problem officer?"

Jenny spun the man around and placed handcuffs on his wrists.

"I'm placing you under arrest on multiple accounts for stealing rare pokemon, hacking into a computer system, and attempt to cause physical harm to someone outside of the battle." Jenny said professionally. "You have the right to remain silent!"

Jenny grabbed Giovanni's under arm and pulled him up. She then turned him around and forced him out.

"This isn't over kid!" Giovanni shouted. "Mark my words boy, this little game has only begun. You may have won the battle, but you're not even close to winning this war. I shall have my revenge."

"Hey, I said remain silent!" snapped Jenny.

The two left the arena with everyone applauding the officer for taking another criminal into her hands. Sora's group smiled knowing they have done a good deed. The trio walked over to the professor who shook their hands.

"Well done." Oak said, congratulating the trio. "At long last Team Rocket won't be in commission for a long while."

"Yeah, and Pikachu sure is relieved." Ash chuckled.

Pikachu wiped his forehead and smiled at the group. The trio then fell onto their backs. They were exhausted. They felt like they were going to explode from just one more battle. Their muscles felt massive pain from over usage. Luigi was complaining the most.

"I'm tired!" whined Luigi. "I can't stand this! One more seed and I think I'm going to scream!"

"He's right." Sora agreed. "Sometimes you need to rest for a bit. Too much fighting can be a bad thing."

Oak just smiled, "As a matter of fact, at this point the final matches won't begin until later tonight. I suggest checking into a hotel and resting up."

Yoshi yawned, "That good idea. Yoshi too tired."

Yoshi fell asleep. Since he was so young he couldn't go on forever. Sora weakly stood up and picked up Yoshi. He smiled at the dinosaur and gently stroked his head. He knew they all deserved a little rest.

"Bubble bath for me!" Luigi cheered, running out of the arena.

Toadsworth and Tails also joined the trio and left for the hotel. The crowd made their way to the exit and were also tired from the excitement. Soon the entire area was completely empty. The breeze of the wind blew through the room and litter not recycled blew through the area. The professor was pleased with the results. His tournament was very successful and he knew it would defiantly be again next year. He was proud of Sora's group. He knew that they were going to do ut.

The professor left the arena in silence and closed the door. The room was silent now. There was very little movement in it. The wind whispered throughout the entire arena. All of a sudden, a mysterious woman walked to the center of the arena. She wore a giant brown dress and a brown hat. Her eyes were in a trans like state as she looked up at the sky.

"Master, the one who holds the key is a worthy advisory." the woman said in monotone. "He defeated Giovanni and every other opponent. Even I begin to get a little worried about the boy. His energy is like nothing I ever felt. Do you feel like you can defeat him?" Silence was heard before the room. She somehow heard a voice. "I see. Fear never stopped you my league. Global conquest will soon be yours sir."

In the darkness of the arena, two blue glowing eyes appeared. The light was dim, but showed that it was sinister. What was it? And why was it here?


	32. Sora’s Triple Trouble

**Chapter XXXI: Sora's Triple Trouble**

A few hours have passed since the trio's victory over Giovanni. Sora was asleep in his bed, resting from the intense fighting. The trio, along with Toadsworth and Tails have checked into the nearest hotel to rest up. In his dreams, Sora took a trip down memory lane as he remembered all of the places he has visited. He felt sorrow deep inside of him as he hasn't told his friends what was going on.

The door to Sora's room opened and Yoshi walked in. Yoshi looked around the room as it had a normal sized bed made for one, a small cabinet, and a medium sized televison on a long wooden desk. He also saw a small tropical plant next to the bed. Yoshi jumped onto the bed and walked over to Sora. He started to lick his face, trying to get him up. Sora felt the wetness on his cheek and smiled. He thought it was Kairi kissing him. A feeling he hasn't felt in awhile.

"Oh, Kairi." sighed Sora happily.

Yoshi looked at Sora with an awkward look. He then began to lick Sora's face rapidly. Sora slowly opened his eyes and looked to see Yoshi. Sora screamed and fell out of his bed. Yoshi started laughing.

"Sora fall down and go boom!" laughed the dinosaur.

Sora stood up and rubbed his head, groaning, "Yoshi! Have you ever heard of knocking?"

Sora felt deja vu as he remembered when Yoshi first did that to him. It brought back more good times he spent with the dinosaur. Sora knew that out of all the friends he met, he would miss his prehistoric pal the most. Sora sat back on his bed and Yoshi jumped onto it.

"Turn on picture box, Sora." Yoshi told the boy, referring to the televison. Sora noticed excitement in his eyes. "We on it!"

"We are?" Sora asked in surprise. He then shouted out the door, "Guys, come here! Yoshi says we're on T.V.!"

As soon as Sora said that, Luigi, Toadsworth, and Tails ran into the room. They were out of breath from running so fast. Luigi walked over to the two.

"You mean my beautiful face is on the screen?" Luigi asked excitedly.

Sora rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "Yeah, on the latest episode of America's Funniest Home Videos."

"You mean the one where he falls down the stairs?" Tails asked jokingly.

"Or when Luigi's pants fall down?" Yoshi giggled.

"Or when the baseball hits..." Toadsworth began.

"Alright, shut up!" Luigi shouted, annoyed. "I get the point!" He then turned to Sora. "Turn it on, Sora."

Sora picked up the remote and turned on the televison. The screen showed a man wearing a business suit, with blonde hair and glasses. He was sitting at a news desk which was blue. A small square in the back of him had a picture of Giovanni being taken away by the police.

"In today's news," the man said. "The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, was finally arrested. He lost his battle at the hands of three competitors." The screen then shows Sora's group celebrating their victory. "These three are the real stars of this story. They have been dominating Professor Oak's first ever human vs. pokemon tournament. There brave actions helped saved hundreds and hundreds of Pokemon's lives."

Yoshi waved at the screen upon seeing himself, "Hi, Yoshi!"

The screen changed to Professor Oak who was being interviewed. Behind him was Ash and Pikachu, looking on.

"I'm very proud of those boys." Professor Oak said. In the background, Pikachu started making faces, even stretching his face out. The professor quickly turned back to see Pikachu who made an innocent look. He then turned back, not aware that Pikachu was making faces again. "From the moment I saw those three I knew, then and there, that they would be the ones to go the distance."

"Liar!" growled Yoshi.

"They have a lot of potential and I know they can do it." Professor Oak concluded.

The person with the microphone turned to Ash, "Would you like to say anything, young man?"

"Sure," Ash nodded. "Hi, mom!"

"Hi, sweety!" called Ash's mom in the background.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Ash asked in shock.

"I came by to make sure you had a clean pair of underwear, honey." Ash's mom responded.

Ash blushed like crazy as he got humiliated in front of thousands of people. Sora's group started laughing out loud.

"Mom!" Ash whined with embarrassment. "You're humiliating me on national T.V.!"

Ash's mom walked in front of the camera. She was a tall woman with long red hair which was in a pony tail. She wore a pink buttoned shirt, and a blue skirt. She blushed upon seeing herself in front of the camera.

"Oh, honey, I knew my little Ash would be come a star." Ash's mom cooed. She then took off his hat and brushed his hair. "Fix your hair, honey, it's all messed up."

Ash continued blushing while Pikachu continued making faces. Professor Oak smacked his forehead in frustration. Sora shut off the televison as he dried his tears from laughing so hard. He then turned to his group with a smile.

"Wow, I didn't know being famous was tough." Sora said with his goofy smile.

"It true." Yoshi said. "Camera does add ten pounds."

Sora looked over at the clock and noticed it was already a quarter past six. He jumped out of bed and turned to his group.

"Guys, we need to get rolling!" Sora said in a rushed tone. "The final rounds start at seven and we need to eat!"

"Agreed, Master Sora." Toadsworth nodded. He then pulled out a map. "There is a buffet not too far from here."

"We can't." Luigi disagreed.

"Why not?" Sora protested in surprise.. "Come on, man! All you can eat?"

"Kid, realize the horrors of placing Yoshi in an all you can eat buffet." Luigi explained.

Sora paused for a moment, "Oh, I guess I forgot about that." He then thought of another idea. "Hey, who wants pizza?"

"Pizza! Pizza!" everyone else cheered.

The five left the building to go and eat. Not too far from the coliseum area was a pizza shop. They stopped to get two large pies. Ironically, the pie with everything on it was for Luigi and Yoshi. Sora, Tails, and Toadsworth just had plan cheese. Back at the jail cell where Team Rocket was, a giant hole was seen on the floor. Inside the hole was Jessie, James, Meowth, and Giovanni. Jessie, James, and Meowth were holding shovels in their hands.

The trio shoveled their way out while the Team Rocket leader walked. The three felt the sweat drip down their skin from ever breath they took. Their muscles felt sore, like they got hit with a thousand needles. The three were exhausted from all the shoveling. They then started to complain to their boss.

"I'm tired." Jessie complained.

"I'm dirty." Meowth also complained.

"I'm hungry!" James whined. "I could go for a couple of doughnuts."

"Enough out of you three." Giovanni snapped at the trio. "No food until we get back to the base. Besides, my scientists are already funding a new project." He then thought about it. "According to my calculations, it should take a year to complete."

"What is it?" the team asked in unison.

"Like I would tell you." scoffed their leader. "You can't even capture a simple little mouse! So, why should I trust you three with valuable information?"

"He's got a point." Meowth agreed. "You two aren't very trustworthy." Jessie and James both grabbed Meowth and shook him. "Hey, put me down!"

Jessie and James both shouted nasty remarks at Meowth. Giovanni rolled his eyes and sighed. He then noted to himself to next time pick smarter lackeys. He then remembered his original purpose for entering the tournament. He was hoping to get his revenge against a certain someone who smashed his dreams of world domination. Although he hated Sora, he hoped that Sora would win the gold cup.

"You haven't seen the last of Team Rocket!" Giovanni shouted to the sky. "I will return, stronger then ever!" He then turned to the trio and shouted at them. "Don't just stand there you idiots! We have work to do!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth returned to their digging, feeling the burn all the way. Sora's group finished their pizza and felt full. They left the pizza place and headed towards the arena. Upon arrival, tons of news reporters surrounded them. They began snapping pictures at the group, causing flashes to appear before their eyes. A group of people tried to get interviews with the group. Luigi was about to say something but Sora quickly grabbed his arm.

The five ran in every direction, but to their dismay, couldn't find away out. Luigi finally figured out what to do and used his stop spell to freeze everyone in their place. Sora frowned at the plumber.

"Luigi!"

"What?" Luigi said upset. "It was the only thing I could think of. Come on, let's run while we've got the chance."

The five quickly made haste into the building. The reporters finally came to and looked around to notice that they were gone. Shrugging their shoulders, they finally left the area. Sora's group arrived back at the main gates where Ash, Pikachu, and Oak were waiting.

"So, you've come." Oak said happily. "You three need to get ready, the last matches are about to begin." He then walked over to Tails. "Now Tails, you were telling me about nuclear fusion..."

"Oh, yeah," Tails said, remembering an earlier conversation they had. "So Nuclei is important in the processes. It is usually separated by an electrostatic force. This force can be overwhelmed, causing the two to collide."

"Interesting." Oak said intrigued. "How do you know all that?"

"I read a lot when I'm not with Sonic." Tails responded. "And did you know that when you take pi..."

"Ooh, Yoshi love to eat pie." an excited Yoshi said.

"No, Yoshi." chuckled Sora. "Pie is part of a math problem."

"Oh," Yoshi said in realization. He then made a proud look. "Yoshi can talk big, too." Everyone turned to him. "One plus one is two."

"Very well put, Yoshi." said Tails, going along with him.

"Come on!" Sora called to Yoshi. "We need to get ready!"

The trio made their way into the arena with tons of screaming fans greeting them. The heartless appeared on the other side of the arena. The trio also noticed their friends in the audience, giving them cheers and full support. Sora drew his keyblade and got into position. The others also got ready for one final brawl in the coliseum. The announcer called the match and the battle began.

Sora dashed forward with the keyblade in hand. He slashed through the shadow heartless with little effort. Two charged right at him, but he jumped over the attack and spun his body around, using his right arm to uppercut them into the air. He then fired his final blizzard spell at them, turning them into dust. Luigi and Yoshi dealt with new heartless that had horns and giant swords. They sped through Luigi and Yoshi, slashing them with a hard blow. Luigi used his gravity spell to bring them down. Yoshi jumped into the air and pounded the ground.

The heartless spun its body up and knocked Yoshi back. Sora jumped at the heartless and clashed with it. It swiped at the boy who ducked under the attack and countered with a strike to the chest. Luigi then ran in with a hard fire punch, knocking it across the arena. Sora then finished it by throwing his keyblade at it. The heartless obliterated before the group and lost the match.

The group moved onto the next match. They fought more old foes such as red, blue, green, and yellow space pirates, and wizards. Luigi used his fire spells to melt the blue space heartless while Sora used his thunder to blast the fire one away. Yoshi gave a mighty kick at the wizard, knocking it back. He tried to hit it again, but it disappeared and reappeared behind him. It fired thunder spells at him which zapped him.

Luigi used his magic to cure Yoshi. Sora finished off the rest of the heartless and joined the others and finished off the wizard. The next match lead them to another old friend, the Stealth Sneak. It started in its invisible form, but Sora used his scan ability to follow the creatures movements. It jumped around the area, trying to avoid the group's attacks.

It then stuck its tongue out at Yoshi who countered with his tongue. Sora quickly tried to slash at the monster's tongue, but it pulled Yoshi's tongue forward, accidentally hitting Yoshi's tongue.

"Ow!" Yoshi yelped in pain.

"Sorry, Yoshi." Sora said sheepishly.

Sora threw his keyblade at the heartless' head which knocked it into the ground. It stood up and shot green lasers at Sora who deflected the attacks. Luigi jumped into the fight and used blizzard on it, knowing that lizards were cold-blooded creatures. The heartless felt weak from the attack and bent down. Sora ran at the beast and used Ragnarok on it. He delivered hard blows to the beast's body and finished it with a powerful laser strike.

After taking a few minutes to ice Yoshi's tongue, the trio entered the arena again for more. The heartless came at them in numbers with mostly old ones and some new ones. The group used everything at their disposal from magic to special abilities. The badges that Sora collected from his journey were a big help. They even encountered two Stealth Sneaks. The group pressed on as they used teamwork to make a difference.

At long last the trio finally reached the first seed of the tournament. They needed to win this one to become the champions and have access to the two special cups Oak has promised the winners. Luigi fell on the floor. He was too tired to go on.

"You go ahead." Luigi moaned weakly. "I'll just lay here and count the pretty stars in the sky."

Sora and Yoshi both pulled the plumber back onto his feet. Sora gave up one of his elixirs to restore Luigi's strength. The plumber stood up and rubbed his head.

"Dude, this is it." Sora said excitedly. "We win this and we'll be the champs of the entire tournament."

"Fine, but if the opponent is over ten feet tall, then you can count me out." Luigi said sternly.

"Whatever you say." Sora whispered, rolling his eyes.

The trio prepared for their final match up. The group didn't see anything at first, but then a giant ball of light appeared, startling the group. The light got brighter and brighter until a flash came over the arena. Everyone was blinded by the light and couldn't see a think. The trio had their eyes closed. They then heard everyone gasp with horror and amazement in their voices. The trio slowly opened their eyes and saw two giant red feet in front of them

Luigi felt his knees trembling. He knew that no creature could have a small body and large feet. The trio slowly looked up and what they saw startled them. Their eyes widened in fear and their mouths dropped open. Standing before them was a giant lizard-like creature. It had red skin which distinctly looked like a rock substance. Its large tail looked like that of a rake.

Luigi backed up nervously, "Over ten feet! Send me a post card in the next year!" Luigi tired to run, but Sora grabbed his suspenders. Luigi ran all the way to the end of the arena until the elastic pulled him back and knocked him into Sora.

The two got back up. Sora turned to Oak who was in shock.

"Professor!" Sora called. "Who's that Pokemon?"

"It's Groundon." Oak responded. He then looked up at it. "One of the legendary 'Trinity' Pokemon."

"Trinity?" Yoshi asked in confusion.

"Three legendary beast that roamed over this world a long time ago." Professor Oak explained. "There power is simply unmatched by other Pokemon. You may find this battle a bit tricky."

"This creature is astonishing." Tails said with amazement. "I've never seen a lizard with that kind of skin before. I must know how it got this structure."

"Guys, I've seen one before, so watch out." Ash warned the trio.

Luigi slowly walked up to the monster and gulped with fear. He then aroused with an idea and walked up to it.

"Listen, how about we make a deal?" Luigi suggested to the monster. "You don't pound us and eat us then for a week, I'll give you all the food you can eat." The Pokemon took one giant step towards Luigi. "Um, thirty hours?" It took one more step towards. "How about five minutes worth?" The Pokemon brought its foot down on Luigi who quickly jumped out of the way. "Have mercy!"

Sora rolled his eyes and Yoshi slightly giggled at Luigi's crazy antics.

"Luigi, bribery isn't the way to go here." Sora pointed out. "Besides, I don't think he understood what you were saying. Come on, home stretch, we can do this."

The trio got into a group huddle, discussing their battle plans and taking a second to take slow breaths. They knew this was it. They had to give it there all in this fight. The trio finally broke and turned to face the giant Groundon. The beast roared at the trio with an ear shattering sound that shook the stadium. The audience braced themselves in their seats from the impact. Sora's group charged right at the monster who looked down at them.

The monster clenched it fists and pounded the ground, sending a giant earthquake which knocked over the trio. The group quickly got back onto their feet and charged at it again. The monster began to slowly stomp the ground as it walked towards the group. The monster was big on power, but slow on agility, so it worked to their advantage. Sora attacked the feet of the giant, only gasping to see it had no effect.

Yoshi tried to throw eggs, but they only splat on the creature upon contact. Luigi used a blizzard spell also having no effect. The group felt nervous as their efforts seemed fruitless. Sora suggested that they try to attack the head. Luigi and Yoshi distracted the beast by running around the area. Groundon picked up a piece of the ground which startled everyone and threw it at the two.

Luigi and Yoshi quickly jumped onto the ground and braced themselves. The piece of ground flew right by them. The two stood back up and gulped in unison. Sora scaled the lizard's body, trying to grip onto its scaly body. He used every single one of his muscles to climb up it. He had to take hard breaths as he climbed up it. It was like scaling a mountain except it was a moving mountain. Sora finally reached the top and struck the creature's head, leaving it unfazed.

Sora couldn't believe his eyes, it still wasn't hurting him. What kind of rocky skin did this Pokemon have? The creature grabbed Sora like he was a fly and threw him onto the ground. Sora broke his fall by stabbing his keyblade onto the ground and catching it. Sora looked up as it turned around and smacked him with its tail. He crashed into the duo and they all crashed into a wall.

The audience gasped in horror, wondering if it was over for the undefeated group. Ash, Pikachu, Oak, Tails, and Toadsworth were especially nervous. Everyone felt relieved when the trio emerged from the wall. Luigi used his cure spell to bring everyone back to full power. The trio couldn't give up now, they've gone too far to quit and go home. Sora threw his keyblade at the giant who grabbed it and used it as a toothpick. It then threw back at him who grabbed it. The impact sent Sora flying into the sky. The boy quickly gave his body a thrust forward and sent a flying kick at the beast. He kicked the pokemon which had no effect but did damage Sora's foot.

"Yow!" Sora cried in pain.

The pain felt like he hit a giant metal panel. Sora felt his foot vibrating and he gripped it tightly as he fell down. Luigi and Yoshi both ran to catch their friend, but ended up running into each other. They finally stood back up to catch him, but Sora fell right beside them, hitting the ground. The two looked at Sora with innocent looks.

"I told you we should have moved over an inch." Luigi complained to Yoshi.

Sora stood back up and used Ragnarok to attack the feet. It still had no effect. The group felt a sense of defeat over them, they're tactics had no effect on the giant. It then took a deep breath and began to absorb energy. The group remembered how Gyarados used this tactic on them. The beast exhaled, releasing a giant wave of energy at the group. Sora stood ready with his pals by his side. He was going to try and take the attack head on. The blast hit Sora's keyblade, pushing the youth back. Luigi and Yoshi got on each side of Sora's legs and helped pushed back.

Their friendship came through again and they successfully sent the attack right back at the monster. It hit the Pokemon right in the eyes, causing a burning feeling as if his eyes were in a hot oven set at well over four-hundred degrees. The monster roared in pain and fell down. The trio felt proud to have the advantage, but unfortunately it was short lived as Groundon stood back up and smacked the trio aside.

"Man, how are we ever going to beat Godzilla over here?" a disappointed Sora said, finally losing hope.

"Don't give up, Sora!" called Ash. "When ever I lost a gym battle did I ever give up? No, I pressed on! I always figured out a plan to beat my opponents, no matter what."

Yoshi stood up and nodded in agreement, "Ash right! Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi can win this fight!"

"How can we?" Sora asked, hopelessly looking up at Groundon. "It's like nothing can break through its skin."

Luigi then realized something. He had something that could help them. He knew of only one type of weapon that could break through anything. He stood up and went through his pocket. He pulled out a small yellow block.

"_I knew I would need this eventually." _Luigi thought with a smile. He then turned to Sora and Yoshi. "Boys, I have the solution!"

"Another bribery?" Sora moaned.

"No!" Luigi shook his head. "I brought this special item for just the occasion."

Luigi tapped the box lightly and a light brightened it. A small suit with black shells on the back and head came out. Yoshi gasped in excitement upon seeing it.

"Hammer suit!" Yoshi cried.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"This is the hammer suit." Luigi explained. "When you put it on, you can throw hammers at anything." Sora frowned a little bit. "Don't underestimate its power. The hammers it comes packed with can break through even the hardest substances." He then threw it to Sora. "Put it on, kid. I owe you one after all."

"For what?"

"For letting me finish off Bowser." smiled Luigi.

Sora nodded and grabbed the suit. It then magically disappeared and reappeared on his body. He was simply amazed by the power he felt. He then saw a small hammer appear in his hand. Luigi nodded to the boy and he moved his arm back and then threw it at the beast. The hammer hit Groundon in the head, causing it to roar in pain from the humongous pain it received. Sora felt more hope now as he fired the hammers, rapidly at the giant.

Sora ran around the monster, continuously throwing hammers. Groundon felt the sharpened pain from the hammers sliding on his skin. He then tried to shoot a giant fireball at Sora.

"Duck!" Yoshi cried.

Sora quickly ducked, ending up inside the shell on his back. The flame went right through the shell and burnt the bottom of the arena. Everyone, except for Toadsworth, Luigi, and Yoshi were shocked to see Sora standing up. He was completely unharmed, with not a burn mark on him. Sora then knew with this power he could win. Sora fired hammers at the Pokemon nonstop. It couldn't even get in an attack edgewise. Finally, the beast couldn't stand the pain anymore, so it fell down in defeat. The pokemon couldn't take anymore abuse from the hammers.

A white light surrounded it and the pokemon disappeared from sight, never to be seen again. The hammer suit vanished from Sora and reappeared in Luigi's hands. All was silent now, the audience waited in anticipation to hear those words. The flag man entered the arena and looked at Sora's group. He then waved his flags into the air.

"Groundon is unable to battle!" the man announced with enthusiasm. "The winners and champions of the first ever Human vs. Pokemon competition are; TEAM SORA!"

The audience roared into the loudest cheers ever heard. People began celebrating with excitement and rooting for the trio. Ash, Pikachu, Oak, Toadsworth, and Tails jumped for joy.

"They did it! They did it!" Ash cheered.

Pikachu made his victory sign, "Pi Pikachu!"

Tails and Toadsworth gave each other a friendly hug, excited for the trio's victory. Oak smiled and knew that from the moment they beat Ash and Pikachu that they would win it all. Sora ran over and embraced Luigi and Yoshi. He spun them around with tears of joy in his eyes. He felt so proud for winning the tournament. Celebrating an amazing victory with his friends was all he needed right now.

"We the champs!" Yoshi cheered.

Luigi then began to sing, "We are the champions, my friends."

"Got that right!" Sora laughed with excitement.

Sora's group looked up to see streamers and balloons falling down from the sky. They were having the times of their lives. Yoshi ran over and began to play with the balloons. At that moment, Sora didn't have a care in the world. He was the happiest person on earth. He never felt such energy from all of this. In the hallway, Cloud smiled upon seeing Sora's victory. He began to have second thoughts about Sora and wondered if he really could handle the Platinum Match. Only time could tell.

Later, the trio stood proudly on a giant stand, holding a bronze trophy with a pokeball on top of it. Ash and Pikachu stood right beside them. Professor Oak stepped forward and spoke into a microphone.

"I would like to congratulate all of you who fought in the tournament, regardless of who or what you are." Oak said over the microphone. "You all fought your hardest, but in the end, only one team survived and they were lead by this remarkable young man right here." Oak then gestured towards Sora who blushed. The audience went wild upon seeing him. "His leadership and determination was an important factor in this battle. But his friends was what really made a difference."

Luigi and Yoshi waved at the audience, hearing the loud roars and hoots. Ash took over for the professor who went to sit down.

"Sora and his friends really showed the value of teamwork in this fight." Ash said, continuing for Oak. "I think that's a lesson we should all learn. We can't do it alone. We need to support each other throughout our journeys. Pokemon Trainers could learn a few thing from this advice. I say this to you as a Pokemon Trainer and a friend. Remember, work together as one to accomplish great things." He then turned to Sora's group. "I know these guys sure have. Let's hear it for them."

The audience roared into cheers again and Luigi proudly stepped forward. However, he took too big a step and fell off the platform, crashing into the ground. Everyone started laughing at this while Luigi blushed in embarrassment. Sora and Yoshi jumped down to join there friend. Oak walked over to Sora's group with the microphone.

"Now, Sora," Oak said. "You have an important decision to make. You can risk your championship by entering the two special cups of the tournament." Sora knew that with his two friends that they could do it. However, what Oak said next shocked him. "But, only you can enter this."

"Why only me?" a shocked Sora asked.

"These matches were especially designed for one-on-one matches only. The two we choice were claimed some of the most powerfulness, undefeated beings in our time. " Oak explained. "The judges had to choose between who was the strongest link and the weakest link of you three for who was going to get the chance to fight them.."

"I am the weakest link, good-bye." Luigi said, turning to leave.

"Luigi!" Sora and Yoshi shouted together.

Luigi walked backed to the group, laughing nervously at the boys.

"Obviously, Sora ended up being the strongest of them all." Oak continued. "It's up to you now."

Sora thought about his choice carefully. Sure it would be fun to take on the most powerfulness warriors in the galaxy, but he didn't want to do it without his friends. The audience shouted to Sora, telling him to go all the way. Sora looked to Luigi and Yoshi who nodded with a smile. Sora knew that they may not be able to help him, but they would cheer him on.

Sora turned back to Oak with a confident look, "I'll do it!"

The audience cheered again, feeling excited to see a truly fantastic brawl. A few minutes have passed since Sora's announcement and the trio were hanging out in the hall. Luigi took his hat off for a second to brush his hair from the sweat that got in it. Yoshi looked up at Sora and smiled.

"Sora going to do great." Yoshi assured Sora. "He going to win this thing. And remember, we there in spirit."

"Thanks," Sora smiled, petting Yoshi's head. "I can do this! I just got to believe!"

"Yeah, never give up." Luigi said. "You can do it."

The same Psyduck that awhile ago stole Luigi's hotdog walked in and noticed Luigi's hat. The duck then grabbed it and ran off. Sora gasped in surprise and pointed at it.

"Luigi, that duck is stealing your hat!" Sora cried.

Luigi gasped in horror to see the yellow duck running off with his hat.

"Hey!" Luigi shouted angrily. "Come-a-back here!" He then turned to Yoshi. "Quick, follow that duck!"

Luigi and Yoshi ran after the Psyduck while Sora stayed behind, laughing at this. Luigi and Yoshi chased the Psyduck down a hallway with fives doors on each side of the room. The Psyduck quickly opened the last door on the left and ran into it. Luigi and Yoshi were about to run into it when Psyduck came out from the second door from the right side. It then ran into the forth door on the left.

Luigi and Yoshi both looked at each other with confusion and shrugged it off. They ran into the door, chasing the duck. The pokemon ran out of the first door on the right into the third door on the left. The duo followed him into it. They came out again with the duck running from the last right door to left door while the duo ran between the other doors. It went on and on as they ran through the doors, mixing it up.

The Psyduck finally left the area and the duo came out, running into each other in the process. They stood up and chased after it again. Luigi quickly jumped for it and tackled the Psyduck. He struggled to get the hat off of the pokemon with all his might. He finally managed to get it off him and put it back on. Luigi laughed in triumph as he put it on.

Luigi noticed that the Psyduck was making a mad look at him. Luigi was unfazed by the stare, but began to get suspicious as its eyes began to glow blue. Luigi then felt a feeling of numbness in his body. He couldn't move at all. The pokemon was using his psychic powers to knock Luigi off of him and crash onto the ground. Luigi stood up and noticed it was squawking with anger. The duo screamed in fear and ran for the hills.

Psyduck angrily chased the duo back to the entrance to the arena. Tails was waiting for them, tapping his foot impatiently. Luigi and Yoshi ran into Tails and they fell over. The duo ended up on top of Tails who was on his stomach. He had his chin rested on one hand while his other hand tapped the ground with frustration.

"Hey, what are you two freaking out about?" Ash said, who rushed in with Pikachu.

The Psyduck walked up to the group with its hands on its heads. Luigi jumped into Yoshi's arms with fear.

"Keep that thing away from us!" Luigi cried in fear. "It's going to tear us into shreds!"

Tails looked at Psyduck with a scoff. He thought it was completely helpless.

"Tear you to shreds?" Tails laughed. "I swear you are the most easily frightened guys I know. You see a dandelion and you run screaming!"

"Do not!" Luigi and Yoshi protested together.

Ash walked over to Psyduck and bent down to him, "Great, Misty left you behind again. She always forgets about you." He then picked the Pokemon up. "I guess you can hang out with us."

Tails stood up, "Come on! Sora's match is about to start!"

Luigi and Yoshi nodded to each other and followed the group back to the arena. Meanwhile, Sora stood in the arena, waiting for his opponent to enter the arena. He felt excited and a little nervous. This was the first time ever since his battle against Ansem that he had to go it alone. He then looked to see Luigi and Yoshi taking their seats. Sora smiled, knowing that his friends were by his side.

Yoshi whistled for Sora while Luigi cheered and clapped. They rose Sora's confidence and he stood ready to fight. Finally, the man with the flags entered the arena. Sora could feel his heart beat, even hear it a little bit. He knew that it wasn't going to be an easy match, but he needed to push himself so that he would be ready for his duel against Ansem.

The man lifted the flag into the air, "May the opponent enter the ring."

Sora saw another person enter the ring. He was baffled on who he saw. It was the strange woman who was hanging around the arena earlier. Everyone looked with raised eyebrows as she walked to the center of the arena. Sora noticed a strange trance like state in her eyes. There was something very familiar about her.

"Greetings," she said. "I congratulate you on your supreme victory in this tournament. You've come quite a long way."

"Well, it was nothing." Sora chuckled, rubbing his head. "Look, let's both do our best here, okay?"

"I'm sorry," the woman said, shaking her head. "But I am not your opponent in this fight. I am simply here to make way for my master, the true opponent."

"Master?" Ash asked with confusion.

It then snapped in Sora's mind. He knew who that woman was. He recognized the face.

"Hey, aren't you the nurse who disappeared from the Pokemon center?" Sora remarked.

"Yeah!" Ash cried, standing up. "You do look like her!"

"I fear you are mistaken." the woman rejected calmly. "I have always been in the service of my master. I dedicate my life to him."

Sadly, Sora was a bit unsure because he hasn't known Nurse Joy as long as Ash has. Ash was in fact pretty sure it was. He was confused as to why she was acting this way. Tails held a wrist watch up and looked into it. Curiosity befell upon his face on what he saw in it.

"This is weird." Tails said astonished. "I'm currently reading her brain wave patterns. It seems there is a strange pattern in it. The human mind has a normal pattern, but the latter isn't what it appears to be."

"Maybe she possessed." assumed Yoshi.

"That's the last thing we would need." Luigi gulped nervously.

"My master has eagerly awaited for your arrival." the woman continued. "You may not be a Pokemon, but even the world's greatest pokemon master should enjoy this."

Ash was shocked about what he heard. If he won the tournament, then he would have locked horns with the greatest pokemon master.

"Aw, man!" Ash said, feeling letdown. "If we just beat Sora, we would have gotten a chance to take on the world's greatest pokemon master!"

"Kid, even if you did beat us, do you think your Pikachu could take on two guys who have swords over five feet?" Luigi asked rhetorically.

Ash grumbled and then said nothing. Sora bravely took his keyblade out, ready to face her "master". Soon a blue spotlight hit the sky, causing everyone to look up. Sora could feel his spine shiver. He never felt anything like it before. The woman walked to the center of the arena.

"You are about to meet my master." the woman announced. "The time has come for your encounter with the world's greatest Pokemon master on earth."

Sora looked up to notice someone or something descending from the sky. Sora couldn't tell what it was at first because it was so high up. Finally, he was able to see it. It was a tall cat-like creature. It had pale white skin, bony arms, shoulders, and three fingers on its paw. Sora saw a tube that connected from the back of its head to its upper body. It had a giant purple tail that was as tall as a baseball bat. It had giant rabbit like feet with a round ball part in its ankle.

The creature slowly landed on the ground, startling everyone in amazement. The pokemon trainers were in complete shock upon seeing this pokemon. Sora never encountered a Pokemon quite like that.

"Who is that?" Sora asked.

"I am called Mewtwo." the Pokemon responded.

Everyone jumped upon hearing it talk. It was talking to them in their minds. Oak was in awestruck upon hearing that.

"Incredible!" Oak said. "This Pokemon is able to speak to us through its mind. It must have incredible psychic powers."

All of a sudden everyone heard a person protest from their seats, "A Pokemon can't be a Pokemon master! No way!"

"Silence!" Mewtwo said. "No one defies me!"

Mewtwo extended his hand to the right side of the audience. Sora noticed a blue energy surrounding the Pokemon. It then raised its arm into the air, lifting one of the members of the audience out of the seats. Everyone exclaimed in terror as they saw this Pokemon literally hurt a young man with his mind.

"Now that's one bad kitty!" Luigi cried.

Mewtwo simply chuckled sinisterly and threw the trainer across the room.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Sora snarled. "He was just startled by the fact! No reason to get upset!"

Mewtwo turned towards the boy with a look of hatred. Sora could sense evil from the creature's purple eyes.

"I simply despise you humans." Mewtwo said coldly. "I was created from the DNA of the legendary Pokemon Mew."

Ash was shocked by what he heard and turned to Oak.

"Professor!" cried Ash. "Does he mean the legendary Mew?"

"Indeed." Oak replied. "This theory of Mewtwo's existence shows that even Mew may be real as well."

"The humans cared nothing for me." Mewtwo continued. "They simply thought of me as a science experiment. I destroyed their lab and every single person. Then I met a man named Giovanni who wanted to form a partnership with me."

Sora gasped upon hearing that. He realized why Mewtwo hated humans. Giovanni and these scientists treated him badly, making him believe all humans were bad.

"Listen, Giovanni is nothing but a no good rotten down dirty liar." Sora argued. "His evil made you think that all humans are bad, huh?"

"Foolish, boy!" shouted Mewtwo. "He opened my eyes to the truth." He then closed his eyes. "All Pokemon are nothing more then slaves in this world. I am planning on destroying this world along with the Pokemon. They have disgraced themselves by serving you humans."

Pikachu jumped out of Ash's lap and protested against Mewtwo.

"Pika! Pikachu!" cried the lightning mouse.

"So...you say I am wrong?" Mewtwo asked with a frown. "That these humans are your friends." Pikachu nodded with a cry. "You are pathetic as the rest of them."

Mewtwo's eye turned bright blue and created an energy wave around the mouse. Pikachu then floated into the air which startled everyone. Pikachu then went flying back and Ash heroically grabbed Pikachu and flew back into the crowd. Everyone else could not believe how powerful Mewtwo was.

"Holy ravioli!" Luigi exclaimed. "That's one insane kitty!"

"Humans and Pokemon can never be friends." Mewtwo said.

"I disagree!" protested Sora. "I may have not been here long, but I can tell that they have a strong bond between each other."

"Enough!" snapped the psychic Pokemon. He then turned to the woman. "Your usefulness has ended!"

The woman's eyes flashed and returned to a normal state. She gasped in surprise at where she was. She felt so weak that she fell over. Sora quickly caught her in his arms. Her hat fell off, revealing her to be Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy!" Professor Oak cried.

Sora noticed that the woman was out like a lightbulb. Sora angrily looked up at Mewtwo with hatred, knowing what he has done was wrong.

"What did you do to her?" Sora demanded to know.

"Her knowledge of Pokémon physiology proved useful for my plan." Mewtwo explained. "I transferred her to me from the Pokemon center. Due to her tiny human brain not handling the power, she couldn't sustain consciousness."

Officer Jenny and a team of medical officials came in and took her away. Sora got his keyblade ready to face the Pokemon.

"I tried to help you, but you just won't seem to listen!" Sora groaned. "I'm going to fight you, Mewtwo. I won't let you harm my friends!"

Mewtwo laughed at the boy, "I commend you on your pitiful efforts, but a human cannot stand up to me. Even the mighty keyblade wielder doesn't have enough power."

"Then I'll prove you wrong!" Sora cried bravely.

The audience cheered for Sora's persistence and determination to fight. Mewtwo powered up a blue energy wave around himself as Sora stood ready. The boy charged at Mewtwo and brought his keyblade down on the Pokemon. Mewtwo effortlessly disappeared as Sora gave a hard strike. Sora wondered where he went and how he did that. Mewtwo appeared from behind and smacked Sora into the wall with his tail.

Sora got back up and ran at Mewtwo again. The psychic Pokemon charged up a dark energy ball in his hand and fired it at Sora. He quickly dodged the energy ball and tried to attack again. Mewtwo dodged the attack and smacked Sora aside with his arm. He went sliding across the floor, but quickly caught himself with his hands and jumped back up. Mewtwo was slightly impressed, he never met a human who could retaliate from one of his attacks.

Mewtwo flew at Sora with a dark energy ball and fired it. Sora tried to use his Aero spell, but was shocked to see the energy ball double in size. The ball hit Sora, sending him flying into the air.

"Your pitiful magic can't stand against me." Mewtwo laughed mockingly.

"Okay, new plan." Sora said to himself.

Sora kicked against the wall and flew back at Mewtwo, holding the handle of his keyblade with both hands. Mewtwo used his psychic powers to try and take control of Sora, but something was wrong. He couldn't gain control of the boy. Sora quickly gave a hard thrust a Mewtwo, sending him crashing into the ground. Mewtwo stood up with very little damage, but was still in shock.

"_My psychic attacks aren't having any affect on this child!" _thought Mewtwo. _"No one can repel my psychic powers!" _

Sora quickly ran at Mewtwo again. The clone formed another energy ball and slammed it onto the ground. Dark waves flowed through the ground and knocked Sora back. He quickly jumpedback up and charged again. Sora brought the keyblade down on Mewtwo, but he blocked it with his arm. Sora rapidly attacked Mewtwo who kept blocking the attacks with his arms. Sora gave a thrust at Mewtwo who spun out of the way and elbowed him from behind.

Sora slid across the floor and rammed into the wall. For a few moments, everyone murmured, wondering if Sora was knocked out. Mewtwo seemed confident that he won the match, but his eyes widened as Sora stood back up. Mewtwo growled again and called upon a blue sword from his mind. Each side had spiky waves on them. Mewtwo charged at Sora with his giant sword and clashed with the boy. Mewtwo tripped Sora with his giant tail and tried to vertically slash him. Sora quickly ducked his head into his shirt and kicked up.

Mewtwo fired another energy ball at Sora who used his fire magic to blow it up. Mewtwo continued to fire energy balls while Sora continued to shoot fire. The two ran across the room, colliding their attacks with each other. Mewtwo quickly bolted at Sora and knocked the keyblade out of his hand. Mewtwo took the chance and fired another energy ball at Sora, which sent him flying into the wall. Mewtwo angrily shot hundreds of energy balls at the key bearer who gasped. He quickly shut his eyes, not wanting to see the result of the blast.

The blasts all collided into Sora, causing a massive explosion. Everyone shielded their eyes from the brightness of the attack. Yoshi tried to run out there, but Luigi held him back. The attack finally died down and the smoke slowly began to clear. Everyone thought that it was over, that Sora was finally out of commission. The smoke finally cleared to reveal that Sora was completely unharmed. Mewtwo was baffled on how he could survive.

Mewtwo then noticed a small pink energy ball in front of Sora. As the light from the ball dimmed everyone saw the small cat creature that has been following everyone around. Most of the people in the audience were amazed at seeing it. Professor Oak couldn't believe his eyes. Mewtwo was also in shock.

"It can't be!" Mewtwo gasped in surprise.

The cat creature turned towards Sora and slowly floated up to him. It started to lightly sniff Sora who was in confusion. Sora put his hand out to the creature and it sniffed his hand. The cat the rubbed its head against Sora's hand. Sora smiled and stroke its head. The cat started purring as it took the strokes.

"Friendly little guy, aren't ya?" Sora smiled. "I bet you were the one who saved me. What's your name?"

The creature looked at Sora and simply said "Mew" at him. Sora figured since all Pokemon spoke with their names this must have been his name.

Mewtwo stepped forward, "So, Mew, you've come. I may have been copied from your DNA, but I shall prove that Mewtwo is better then the original." He then narrowed his eyes to Sora. "Only after the boy falls."

Mew gave a dirty look at Mewtwo and started talking to him. Mew was saying that, he is lost in the darkness, that he was in denial about the friendship between humans and pokemon. The darkness wrapped around is heart from the moment he let his rage take over. Mew then said that his psychic attacks weren't affecting Sora because of the light and goodness with in his keyblade and his heart. True strength of heart comes from the ones you love and yet Mewtwo hasn't discovered this.

"Does anyone have any idea what he just said?" a stumped Luigi asked.

Mewtwo became furious at what Mew said, "Fool, my power if far too great to be taken control by the darkness."

Mewtwo then shot an energy ball at Mew. Sora quickly stood up and blocked the attack with his keyblade. The energy from the ball pushed him back into the wall. Sora felt the sweat drip down from his face as he strained against it. Finally, he pushed the energy back at the clone who took the hit and crashed into the wall. The audience gave out a loud cheer to Sora who rubbed his head with a chuckle. Sora sensed the rage inside of Mewtwo. The only possible way he would get Mewtwo to understand friendship was for him to defeat the psychic Pokemon.

Sora turned to Mew, "Mewtwo has been like this because of the darkness in his heart, huh?" Mew nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I'll free him from it." Mew smiled with appreciation. "You better let me handle him."

Mew nodded and flew off, away from the arena. Sora got his keyblade ready to face Mewtwo again. The Pokemon flew out with anger in his eyes. It was bad enough to beg beaten by a Pokemon, but a human? It was beyond embarrassment. He couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it!" shouted Mewtwo. "I will not stand here and let a weak little human beat me!"

"Wow, guess he's had too much catnip." Luigi joked.

Ash started to get annoyed, "Luigi, one more cat joke and I swear..."

"Sora no give up!" Yoshi called to Sora.

"Don't worry," Sora smirked. "I don't intend to give up." He then looked up at Mewtwo. "Give it your best shot! I'm going to save you, Mewtwo! I won't give in! I have my friends at my side!"

"Let's see your friendship dodge this!" Mewtwo hissed.

Mewtwo fired another energy ball at Sora. He quickly jumped over the attack and charged at Mewtwo. The two slashed at each other, damaging themselves in the chests. The two jumped back and clashed with each other again. Mewtwo began to push Sora back as fast as he could. Sora tried to push back as well, but had a bit of trouble doing so. Mewtwo rammed his head into Sora, sending him flying across the arena. Sora quickly caught himself by bending over and using his hands and feet.

He continued to slide back until he leaped forward and flew at Mewtwo who did the same. The two slashed past each other and slid across the opposite sides. The two dashed back again, doing the same thing. They rapidly went back and forth through each other like two ping pong balls colliding with each other, back and forth. Sora tried to slash again, but Mewtwo jumped over the attack and flew into the sky.

He shot another dark energy ball at Sora who knocked it back, knocking the pokemon over. Sora took this chance to use Arc Arcanum to rapidly slash Mewtwo. Sora attacked with hard blows, not giving Mewtwo the chance to stand back up. Mewtwo used a psychic barrier to knock Sora back. Mewtwo shot a blue energy beam which missed Sora's face by an inch. The boy looked back in shock to see a recycling can take the hit, turning right into the stone.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried. "That's so wrong!"

"Luigi mean about some bad person not recycle the can." Yoshi asked.

Luigi smacked his forehead, "No! I mean the can turning into stone!"

Sora's felt his spine shiver from seeing that. He knew Mewtwo wasn't playing around anymore. Sora saw another one coming at him and he bolted to the left, avoiding the attack. Mewtwo flew down at Sora and clashed with him again. The competitors went into a blade lock, pushing their weight against each other in the process. Sora kicked Mewtwo in the stomach, sending him sliding across the floor. Mewtwo quickly recovered from the blow and flew at Sora again.

Mewtwo rammed Sora in the head and rapidly slashed at him. Sora screamed as the blows got laid upon him like hard rain. The boy fell onto his back and closed his eyes. It seemed he was down for the count. Mewtwo smirked at Sora with pride in his eyes, knowing that he had one. Everyone gasped in horror, especially Luigi, Yoshi, Ash, Pikachu, Tails, Toadsworth, and Oak.

"Sora!" Ash cried. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Yoshi shouted in anger.

Mewtwo just started to laugh, "See? No one can defeat the perfect Pokemon. Not even a human like him!" He then turned to the crowd. "Humans, your reign has ended. As soon as I take care of Mew, you will all be destroyed by my story."

"Fat chance!" called a weak voice.

Mewtwo's eyes widened in fear as Sora stood up. He gripped the handles of his keyblade as the audience cheered for him. Mewtwo couldn't believe how Sora was still able to fight.

"This is impossible!" Mewtwo said angrily. "Why won't you die?"

"I told you before, I have my friends with me." Sora explained. "My power of far stronger then you'd expect it to be. I also have the confidence in myself as well. So as long as I have that, I can't lose."

Mewtwo backed up in fear. He realized the truth, he couldn't win. No matter how many times he knocked Sora down, he would just get back up. Sora ran at Mewtwo, who was still in shock and knocked the sword out of the clone's hand. Sora rapidly slashed at Mewtwo and finished it with a hard blow, knocking him down. Mewtwo didn't have any fight left in him. He looked up into the sky and saw a light appear before his mind.

He then could see the images of humans and Pokemon getting along with each other. He smiled at the warm light.

"I have been a fool this entire time." Mewtwo said weakly. "I didn't realize the truth. I was blinded by rage this entire time. Humans and Pokemon can live together in piece. I have caused suffering for all the wrong reasons, hurting innocent creatures. Now I must undo this damage. Life is full of mysteries and there is much I want to discover."

The flag man appeared out from behind of the corner. He looked down to see Mewtwo out cold.

"Mewtwo is unable to battle!" the man announced. "Sora wins the Gold Match!"

The audience roared into cheers and applause. Ash and the others all so cheered with excitement as well. Sora waved to the audience, smiling all the way. Mew floated over to his clone and used a cure spell to revive him. Mewtwo stood up which caused the audience to gasp in fear. Mewtwo walked over to Sora who felt a bit nervous. Mewtwo then looked down at Sora with a smile. Sora could tell that the darkness has finally lifted from Mewtwo's heart.

"You truly are a great warrior, keyblade master." Mewtwo said, showing his gratitude. "I'm glad I had this chance to fight you. Can you ever forgive me for the way I've acted?" He then put his hand out to Sora. "Friends?"

Sora shook Mewtwo's hand, "Friends!"

The audience cheered again, knowing that the threat of Mewtwo has passed.

"Boy, I'm glad that's over with." Ash sighed with relief.

"Pika." nodded Pikachu in agreement.

"You were tough." Sora told Mewtwo. "You truly are the strongest Pokemon."

"Well, even I'll admit that may not be true." chuckled Mewtwo. "But you have the strongest heart. I shall be taking my leave along with Mew. I was going to erase your memory of our meeting but I've decided to keep it." He then make a confident smirk. "Because I expect a rematch from you."

"It's a promise." Sora said with a smile. "I hope we meet you guys again."

Mewtwo handed Sora a keychain called "Psychic Might" as a reward.

"Come, Mew." Mewtwo said. The two slowly floated into the sky. "One more thing, Sora. Be careful in the next match. Your opponent is even stronger then I am."

The entire crowd gasped upon hearing that. What could be worse then Mewtwo?

"Nice ensuring words." Luigi said sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter." Sora said bravely. "I'll be ready."

Mewtwo and Mew then flew off. Sora waved good-bye to his new friends as they took of into the distance. Sora took a ten minute break to get ready for his final match. Mewtwo's words haunted Sora's mind for a long time. He felt a bit discouraged, but that didn't stop him. Finally, Sora walked up to Cloud to ask him something.

"Good job, kid." Cloud smiled. "You did well out there."

"Cloud, who am I facing next?" Sora asked. "Mewtwo said that my next opponent is even stronger then him."

Cloud turned away from Sora. The image of his opponent haunted his mind. It was a face he could never escape. The name warped around his head, knowing he couldn't escape. Cloud took a deep breath and turned to Sora.

"His name is Sephiroth." Cloud responded. "He is a danger to all. His sword skills are far superior then any other person I know. It's basically doom for anyone who comes upon him. I heard about him entering the tournament, so that's why I needed to win."

"Kid, I think you should reconsider fighting." Luigi gulped nervously.

Sora thought about it for a moment. He then smiled at Luigi.

"Don't worry, Luigi." Sora smiled with assurance. "I'm not afraid of him. I can take him with one hand tied behind my back."

"You arrogant fool!" Cloud shouted angrily. "No one has ever been able to defeat him! His sword skills will rip you into shreds! I should have faced him, not you!"

"I beat you two times." Sora pointed out. "I think I can handle this."

"He does have a point." Ash agreed. "You wouldn't even stand a chance."

Cloud got furious upon hearing that. He couldn't believe what everyone was saying to him. They were going to let Sora face that madman. He knew it was pointless. There was no point

"Fine!" Cloud roared. "Get yourself killed if you want! You get too overconfident in yourself and that will be your downfall!"

Cloud angrily walked out into the arena, leaving Sora a bit disappointed. He couldn't believe what Cloud was saying. Give up after coming this far? He didn't think so. Sora heard the guy over the loudspeaker call his name and he left for the arena. Yoshi began to feel a little worried about Sora fighting this Sephiroth guy. Luigi put his hand on Yoshi's shoulder to comfort him.

"Hey, Sora can deal with anyone!" Luigi said. "That kid is tougher then the smell of garlic sauce, so I know he can handle this!"

"Luigi, right." Yoshi nodded as he felt better. "Let's go!"

The group ran out to get there seats. Out in the arena, Sora stretched out a bit, getting ready for this big match that was planned. Sora saw his friends take their seats, including Cloud who decided to watch and be supportive. Sora felt the tension in his body as he knew this would be an intense battle. Soon the man with the flag came in and announced the match to begin.

Sora looked around for his opponent, but saw no sign of him. Maybe he forgot about his match or something. Cloud was also hoping that Sephiroth wouldn't show up. All of a sudden, the audience gasped which caused Sora to look up. A beautiful bright light appeared in the sky, forming into a giant blue ball. The ball then erupted, turning into a giant display of yellow patterns in the sky.

Three small balls floated around the area in the patterns. The three then started flowing and fired blue beams at each other, which upon contact, caused a giant blue light to hit the ground. The impact was so strong that it felt like an earthquake have bestowed upon the arena. Sora shielded his eyes from the intense light the appeared on the arena. It was in the form of a giant ball which faded after a few seconds.

Sora began to see a figure appear from within the faded light. The figure was bent over as he appeared. The man wore dark leather clothing with red marks on the edge of them, long silver hair that was even longer then Riku's hair, dark boots with two belts supporting them, and a giant dark wing on his back. This was obviously Sephiroth.

"What's with the bad guys and long white hair?" Luigi groaned. "Riku had it, Ansem had it, and now this guy has it. You'd think they were related or something."

Everyone ignored Luigi as he ranted on. Toadsworth worryingly turned to Cloud.

"Do you think Master Sora can win?" Toadsworth asked.

"One thing I'll admit," Cloud said softly. "This kid has guts! Anyone who would come face to face with the one winged angel would run in fear, but not him. Ether he is very brave or very foolish. His chance of actually defeating Sephiroth is slim. I do give him my full support, though. He defeated me, so he may have an edge."

"Go, Sora!" Yoshi cheered.

Sephiroth slowly stood up and stretched out his arms. His giant feather moved in the wind from his movement. He then turned to see Sora with his keyblade in hand. Sephiroth looked at him as if Sora was nothing.

"I travel across the world to meet a worthy advisory and yet, I find it's a boy." scoffed the one winged angel.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked angrily.

Sephiroth just chuckled, "I should be facing mighty warriors, not some kid with a giant key." He then noticed Cloud in the audience. The two gave each other deadly stares for a few seconds. He then turned back to Sora. "I'll worry about that later. Why don't you leave now and I'll spare you? Be thankful because I never give my victims this kind of opportunity to leave."

"Forget it!" shouted Sora. "I came here to fight and I don't attend to quit now!"

"Impressive." Sephiroth said with amusement. "Not a lot of people would try to fight me. I guess it would be fun to toy with you for a little while. I can't get rusty now."

"By the end of this fight," Sora said. "You'll be on the floor, crying like a little baby."

Sephiroth just started laughing at Sora's ridiculous words, "You humor me, boy, you know that? You should be a comedian." He then smirked with a dark and sinister look. "Then prepare to enter a nightmare world. In this world, you can't escape the darkness and fear will grasp your mind."

"You don't scare me!" Sora cried with bravery in his eyes. "Let's just fight already!"

"As you wish." Sephiroth complied.

The man put his hand on his sword that rested on his sheath. Sora's heart began to pound, feeling both nervous and excited. Everyone else noticed how long his sheath was and gasped. It extended about twelve feet back. The group, except for Cloud gasped in fear.

"Please tell me that the sword in there is only about a foot long!" gasped Luigi in horror.

"Wow, I've never seen a sword that big." Ash exclaimed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted.

"Be careful, Master Sora!"

Sora stood ready to face the man. He held his keyblade tightly within his hands. Out of the two of them, Sora was the first to start sweating. Sephiroth slowly walked forward, hoping to scare Sora off. Sora ran at Sephiroth, screaming at the top of his lungs. Sora jumped into the air and brought it down on the man, who teleported away. Sora was baffled by this. How did he do that? Sora then turned to see Sephiroth reappear at the other end of the ring, mocking him.

Sora threw his keyblade at Sephiroth who teleported again and appeared behind the boy, quickly slashing his back. Sora screamed from the humongous pain as he fell back. It was like lightning struck him at the speed of light. Sora weakly stood up, already feeling tired from the pain. Sora turned around and gave a hard thrust at Sephiroth, who dodged the attack again. Sephiroth kneed Sora in the stomach, grabbed his arm and threw him across the room.

Everyone watched as their friend was getting thrashed by this man. Sora stood up again, panting with exhaustion from the damage. Sora couldn't believe it, he couldn't lay a finger on the man. Sora got back up, readying his keyblade. Sephiroth raised his eyebrow, slightly impressed with the boy's persistence. Sephiroth teleported again, but this time, Sora jumped up and dodged the attack. He quickly kicked Sephiroth in the stomach, pushing him back. Sora tried to slash again, but Sephiroth retailed very quickly and slashed Sora aside.

Sora slid across the floor and jumped back up. He bolted forward and clashed with the man. Sephiroth tried to push Sora back, but couldn't. Sephiroth slashed at Sora who jumped over the attack and kicked him in the back. Sephiroth spun back and quickly caught himself. He charged at Sora who ran as well. Sora rapidly slashed at Sephiroth who deflected all of the attacks and quickly spun around, knocking the keyblade aside. Sephiroth then slashed at Sora again, delivering hard blows.

Sora ducked under another attack and slid under Sephiroth's legs and grabbed the keyblade. He quickly turned around to block another attack. Sephiroth clashed his sword with Sora who was still on the ground. Sora quickly slid his back to make him move away from a vertical slash. Sora kicked at the sword and knocked it out of his hand. Sephiroth started to get a bit annoyed as Sora slashed him aside. The group cheered Sora on. Cloud was left speechless by this turn of events. Sephiroth grabbed his sword and ran at Sora again. As the boy got close, Sephiroth created a giant wall of fire, which knocked Sora back. Sora felt the burn from the fire and waved his hand frantically to get rid of the flames.

Sephiroth flew at Sora again who clashed with him. Sephiroth pushed Sora into a wall, breaking pieces of the wall away. Sephiroth quickly gave a hard thrust at Sora who spun to let side. The point of the blade continued to pop out of the wall as Sora spun along it. He then jumped forward and slid his hand onto the ground, sliding across the arena. Sephiroth flew from the other side of the arena. He swiped at Sora who ducked under it and jumped forward. The two clashed again and clashed back forth with each other.

Sephiroth did a underhand swipe, which knocked Sora into the air. He quickly flew down and kicked Sephiroth into the ground. The man jumped into the air and brought his sword down on Sora. He quickly side stepped the attack and tried to punch the man, who blocked it with his arm. Sephiroth tried to attack with his sword while in this position, but Sora put his keyblade up vertically, blocking the attack. The two stayed in that position for a moment and then jumped back.

Sora bent over, feeling weak. He then used Curaga to revive his power. Sephiroth began to get annoyed by the boy's awesome power. He wasn't going to let this kid get the best of him.

"Well, I guess I misjudged you." said Sephiroth. "But I've only begun to fight. Now, prepare to be sent into oblivion."

"Bring it!" Sora cried.

Sephiroth hands began to glow a red color and then a whole mixture of color. Sora was confused as to what he was doing. Cloud eyes widened in surprise, he knew what the silvered haired swordsmen was planning.

"Descend, Heartless Angel!" Sephiroth commanded.

Sora then noticed a red halo above his head. It then zapped him, causing him to scream in pain. He felt like his energy was getting sucked up. Sora then fell down, feeling like his muscles have collapsed. He couldn't move because he was so tired.

"What did you do?" a weak Sora demanded to know.

"A curse, if you will." explained Sephiroth. "When I cast Descend, Heartless Angel, I zap your will, your energy."

"That means Sora can't even fight back." Ash said in shock. "Didn't see that coming!"

"Prepare for the end!" Sephiroth cried as he charged for Sora.

Yoshi was frightened, he couldn't sit around and watch his best friend get hurt. He tried to jump into the ring, but Luigi and Tails held him back. Yoshi struggled a lot, but their grip was too strong. Yoshi finally gave up and fell on the floor in tears. Luigi comforted Yoshi, trying to assure him Sora will win. But the battle looked pretty grim as Sephiroth was about to finish off a defenseless Sora.

Sora knew that it was over. He felt defeated, knowing he has failed to save the world. He then heard Riku's voice.

"Hey, Sora, don't let a push over get the best of you." called the voice of Riku.

"Riku?"

"Allow me to add my power to yours." Riku said. "I'm always available to help an old friend."

Sora then looked to see his keyblade turning into a new form. It was bigger and it was completely dark. Sora felt his strength restore and felt stronger then ever. Sephiroth brought his sword down and Sora blocked it with his keyblade. Sephiroth was in complete shock.

"That can't be!" the man yelled in shock. "No one can recover from that attack!"

Sora pushed Sephiroth into the sky who caught himself. He flew back at Sora who leaped into the air. The two clashed their blades together again and caused electricity to flow out of the attack. Rocks and ruble from the arena rose up from such an intense attack. The arena began to fall apart. Sephiroth swung his sword at Sora who blocked a few attacks. Sephiroth disappeared and reappeared behind Sora. He tried to swipe at the boy, but he quickly moved away and brought his keyblade down on the sword.

Sephiroth pushed the keyblade back up and slashed Sora in the stomach. Sora spun around and countered with a slash to the back. Sephiroth began to fell down and Sora tacked him, sending them both into the ground. The ground spilt into two from their intense blows. Professor Oak smacked his forehead.

"Oh, no!" Oak groaned. "A thousand dollars worth of damage!"

The two reappeared and jumped into the sky. Sephiroth swiped at Sora who moved back and then vertically attacked Sephiroth, who moved his body to the side. The two clashed again and jumped back. Sora noticed Sephiroth making his hands glow again, knowing his favorite attack was coming. Sora threw the keyblade at him, knocking the one winged angel back, which prevented him from using the attack

Sora used his Sonic Blade attack and dashed through Sephiroth with powerful blows. He then jumped onto Sephiroth's shoulders and jumped into the air. He hammered the man into the ground, sending him crashing through the ground. Sephiroth reappeared and flew at Sora again. Sephiroth was now trying against the boy. He never met anyone besides Cloud to make him break a sweat. The two clashed with each other again and dashed back. Sephiroth then began to glow a blueish color, revealing the full extend of his power.

"NOW I SHALL SEND YOU TO THE PROMISE LAND!" Sephiroth shouted at the top of his lungs.

Sora gulped nervously, "I don't like the sound of that."

Sora then noticed giant meteors appearing from the sky. He quickly moved around to dodge them. Sora jumped onto one and jumped off it as another one collided with it. Sora then looked up to see Sephiroth holding a giant blue energy ball. Sora now became frighted as it was full of energy, an attack that looked like it couldn't be blocked. Sephiroth fired the energy ball at Sora who jumped out of the way. The beam exploded, causing the entire arena to be embraced with a giant light.

A few minutes later, the light finally dimmed, revealing the arena to be completely destroyed. Ruble came down from the sky, cracks were in ever inch of the arena. Luigi and the others peaked their heads out from their seats and noticed the extreme damage. Luigi panicked upon seeing this.

"Shocking spaghetti!" Luigi exclaimed. "That guy had the power to destroy five worlds at once!"

Cloud stood up and brushed himself off, "At least no one got hurt."

The group looked out into the arena to see both Sora and Sephiroth still standing. However, they were too exhausted to even continue.

"_What is he?" _Sephiroth thought with annoyance. _"Why won't he quit?" _His sword then began to glow. "You are really getting on my nerves! Prepare for the end!"

Sora stood ready with his keyblade, gripping the handles tightly. He knew that it all came down to this last attack. He couldn't even use magic anymore, but pulled all the strength he had for one final attack. Sephiroth flew at Sora one more time, screaming at the top of his lungs. Sora ran at Sephiroth while screaming as well. Everyone else ducked for cover, knowing there was going to be a colossal impact. The two charged at each other with full speed and power. The two finally collided with each other, causing another massive explosion that extend through out the arena...

A/N: Ha! Bet your weren't expecting that, huh? Who won the battle as a result? That's what the next chapter will bring. Also, expect a few Final Mix stuff next chapter. (One of which is the infamous boss fight between the extra boss of Final Mix) Thanks to my good friend ravenf6 for giving me the idea of the Hammer Suit. I hope you enjoyed it.


	33. Showdown with a Mysterious Stranger

A/N: This chapter will strictly be a Final Mix chapter. Most of you fans will know what to expect from the title of this chapter. In Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix (aside from the Showdown of Fate), an extra boss was added to bring more in depth for the storyline, and set the stage for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II. I won't ruin much, but the role of these types of people is much bigger in the next two installments.

**Chapter XXXII: Showdown with a Mysterious Stranger**

Darkness was all he could see. He felt the throbbing pain in his body, and the numbness. He tried to move one inch, but he felt like he was being restrained. He knew that his eyes were closed, and yet, he couldn't open then. Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened them, knowing that the results of the battle were possibly deadly. Sora's vision was blurry, but he could tell he wasn't in the arena anymore. Instead, he was in a hospital bed with his leg on a support with a cast around it.

Sora put his head down in sorrow, feeling like he lost his title. Lifting it back up, he looked around at his environment. A small hospital room with white tiles on the floor, a white curtain that went halfway around him, and a giant window in the corner. Sora saw he was set up to a heart monitor, it beeped at a normal pace. Sora sighed with relief, knowing he may not have won, but at least he had his life spared.

"_Can't win them all." _Sora thought sadly.

He looked to his left and noticed a small table. On the table he noticed a get well card looking right at him. Sora saw that it was a handwritten by a child, so he knew it was written by Yoshi. He rested his head on the pillow, sighing all the way. He could then hear a small creaking sound coming from the right. He skimmed the entire area until he saw the door to the room open. He smiled, seeing both Luigi and Yoshi entering the room.

Yoshi excitedly ran over to Sora and licked his face. Tears were streaming down the frightened dinosaur's face as he licked away. Luigi walked up to the boy, smiling with relief, knowing that he was okay.

"Thank goodness you're up, kid." said a relieved Luigi. "We were all praying for you, and you came through." He then sat down in a chair next to his friend, slowly sliding down it, feeling the vibration from it. "Mama-mia! I was on the edge of my seat in that fight. I didn't know you had it in you."

"I didn't even know I had it in me, too." Sora chuckled. "It was so intense! One of the most intense fights I've ever encountered.

Sora lightly smiled and petted Yoshi's head, calming him down. Yoshi sat next to Sora and smiled at him.

"Yoshi was so worried." said Yoshi worryingly. "Yoshi thought Sora was going to..."

"Can't you ever have faith in me?" Sora said to Yoshi, a little disappointed. "I would have been fine no matter what." Yoshi put his head down and Sora petted him. "I didn't mean to snap, don't be sad." Yoshi looked back up and smiled again. Sora then turned to Luigi, rubbing his head from the pain. "What happened?"

"Well, it's like this," Luigi explained. "You were in an intense battle with that one winged freak, going at each others throats. I tell you, I haven't seen a brawl like that since my brother first took on Bowser. You really impressed me."

"Thanks," Sora blushed. He then made a sad look. "Did I lose the fight?"

Before Luigi could respond, the trio heard the door open. They saw Professor Oak, Cloud, Ash, Tails, Toadsworth and Pikachu enter. Professor Oak held something that made Sora excitedly widen his eyes, it was a blue trophy that was shaped like a leafless tree, with two points in each direction. Pikachu ran into Sora's arms and licked him. Sora started laughing from feeling the sand paper like feeling on his cheek.

"Calm down, Pikachu," called Ash, giving a slight chuckle. "Give Sora a chance to breath."

Pikachu jumped off of Sora and the Professor walked over to Sora, clearing his throat.

"I, Professor Oak, award the Platinum cup trophy to Sora, the champion of champions." Professor Oak announced.

Professor Oak put the trophy down next to Sora's bed as the boy looked at it, feeling proud of himself. He excitedly knew that he won the match, but how did he?

"So I won?" Sora asked in surprise. Everyone nodded. "But, I don't even remember how I could have won?" Sora tried to think back to when he was fighting Sephiroth. "I remember charging for one more strike, and then I blacked out." He made a stumped look, resting his chin on his hand. "So, what happened?"

"The moment you two collided," Cloud said. "He disappeared from the arena."

Sora looked at Cloud with a bit of disbelief.

"It was weird." Ash added. "He never showed up after that attack."

"And since he wasn't present in the ring, he was automatically disqualified." Oak concluded. "You won by default."

Sora didn't know rather to be happy or disappointed. Sure he won and all, but it was only because Sephiroth probably bailed out. Then again, he didn't care, he was happy to be the winner and cheered.

"Oh, yeah!" cheered Sora. "I did it!"

"You did well, kid." Cloud smirked, impressed. "No one has ever been able to survive the onslaught of Sephiroth. You truly are a warrior and that's something to be proud of."

"Thanks," Sora blushed. Cloud then began to leave. "Hey, where are you going?"

Cloud turned back and smiled, "I'm off to find my own adventure. I hope that our paths will cross again one day. As I always told you, keep your light strong."

"Don't lose your light, too." Sora smiled back. "Keep it burning strong."

Cloud gave the young key wielder a thumbs up and left the room. Professor Oak handed the trophy to Luigi to hold onto, a keychain called "The One Winged Angel", and an Ansem report. Toadsworth walked over to Sora and chortled.

"Well, Master Sora," chortled Toadsworth. "You've have quite a day, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Sora chuckled weakly. "I guess I was in over my head a little bit."

"Luckily, Sora only get minor boo-boos." Yoshi said hopefully.

"Only a few minor injuries," Tails said. "You should be up and Adam by tomorrow."

"Who is Adam?" Yoshi asked curiously.

Sora just chuckled lightly and laid back down. Luigi walked over to the other side of Sora and smirked.

"You've impressed me, Sora." Luigi said. "You're defiantly one of most powerful people out there." Sora blushed and smiled. "We've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

Sora then saw the door open, revealing Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny walking in with a giant cake. Sora was the white colored frosting on, the red colored icing, and the words that were written on it. It said, "Congratulations, Team Sora."

"Aw, is this for us?" Sora asked wholeheartedly.

"It sure is." Ash nodded. "You guys earned a piece of cake."

"Ooh, Yoshi love cake." Yoshi said excitedly licking his lips.

Yoshi ran for the cake, but Luigi held him back.

"Hold up, Yoshi." Luigi shouted. "Don't you even think about!"

"Think about what?" Yoshi gulped nervously. "Yoshi just wanted to admire cake."

Everyone started laughing at the comment. Everybody cut a piece a of cake out, and Luigi gave one to Sora, who was still in bed. The group chatted away with each other, having a good time now that the fighting was over. The cake they had was very good. Sora was thinking about Ansem and how he knew there was still one more threat left to deal with. Ash walked over to Sora and bent down to him.

"Hey, Sora," said Ash. "What's next for you?"

"Well, we have some unfinished business to take care off." Sora explained. "Tomorrow, I'll be off."

"Be careful," Ash warned. "You're still injured."

"I'll be okay." Sora reassured. "I have my friends at my side."

Luigi proudly walked over next to the bed, "Yeah, this kid has Mr. Muscles here and I can break anyone in half."

Luigi did a karate chop which accidentally hit a lever. That caused the support on Sora's leg to quickly lower, brining his leg down, hard onto the bed.

"Ow!" Sora shouted.

"Oh, sorry, let me fix that!"

Luigi jumped onto the bed to try and fix it, but he kneed Sora's leg again.

"LUIGI!" yelped Sora in pain.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it." Luigi said frantically.

He then tried to press a button, but he pressed the recline button which raised Sora's upper body, knocking his head into Luigi's head. The other were also trying to help stabilize the situation. Unknown to them, Yoshi was secretly picking away at the cake. Pikachu ran on the bed, only to press a button which caused both parts of the bed to recline up, crushing Sora between the two mattresses. Everyone could hear Sora's muffled cries of pain. Everyone got on each side of the bed and pulled on it. Finally, they were able to pull the mattresses out of him.

Ash tumbled back and knocked the trophy onto the floor which rolled into Yoshi. The dinosaur lifted his foot and it landed on the trophy, tripping him back into the support that was holding the cake, knocking the cake off, sending it into the air. Everyone caught their breaths from their attempts to rescue Sora.

"Man, are you alright?" sighed Tails.

"I'm fine." moaned Sora. "Now I'm going to be here for a week," He then turned to Luigi with an evil glare. "And it's all your fault."

"At least I didn't get on the receiving end of the blow." Luigi pointed out. He then looked up to see the cake falling on him. "Why, me?"

The cake landed on Luigi's head, causing a great big splat. Everybody else started cracking up at Luigi who looked like a fool. The frosting slowly slid down his face. Luigi just stood their with lowered eyes and a bittered lip. Yoshi walked over and licked Luigi's face, getting all of the frosting off.

"Mmm, that good." Yoshi said, licking Luigi's face clean.

Later that night, Sora's group turned in. The doctor, much like Tails has mentioned said that Sora was fine to go tomorrow. As he rested his bruises and scars, he wondered what ever happened to Sephiroth. Shrugging it off, he fell into a well deserved night's sleep. The arena remained in ruin for a long time. Pieces of ruble were split into two from the vicious duel.

The night stars glimmered in the sky, looking down at the arena. The wind blew lightly through the area with a warm breeze. It seemed that everyone had turned in for the night, except for one person. He slowly walked into the arena, gazing out into the arena. His giant red cape and spiky blonde hair blew in the wind. That person was Cloud. He held a piece of paper in his hand and looked down at it, trembling the hand writing on it.

"Meet me at midnight tonight," Cloud recited the letter. "We shall settle this once and for all."

Putting the letter in his pocket, he slowly walked to the center of the ring, his breath raspy, feeling the tension in the air. He knew that the moment he has longed to achieve was finally here. Finally, he walked onto the center of the ring, holding his mighty sword in his right hand, gripping tightly onto it. He skimmed the area as he looked for something. The wind blew in different directions, causing the man to move his head at a fast pace.

He then heard it above him. Looking up he saw a dark feather drift its way onto the ground. As he looked at it, he felt another presence. He saw a small shadow appear next to the wing. Soon two feet worn by familiar boots lightly touched the ground. Cloud stiffed his shoulders as he looked up, seeing a familiar silvered haired swordsmen. It was him, Sephiroth.

"I knew you would show up." Sephiroth smirked. "You'd never back down from this challenge."

Cloud stood up and stared his opponent down. The two enemies looked into each others, their bittered hatred rising. Cloud knew he had to end this nightmare once and for all.

"Indeed," Cloud nodded. "I'm surprised you'd even show your face after a defeat from a child."

Sephiroth simply laughed, "You as well. Let's not forget that you fell to him twice." Cloud frowned. "But, I left the battle because I did not wish to have my face in the dirt, especially from the boy." He then smirked. "I've been waiting for this moment a long time, so it doesn't matter about the keyblade master."

"I've been searching for you." Cloud said coldly.

"As have I." Sephiroth responded.

Cloud slightly walked forward, clinching his teeth with frustration.

"I can never escape from you." Cloud bluntly said. "You're a nightmare I can never awaken from, a nightmare that hunts me as you continue to breath. You are my darkness."

"Flattery will not help you in this fight." Sephiroth joked with a chuckle. "So, I shall draw you into a darkness, into a nightmare world that will deprive you of light forever, from which you can never awaken from."

"You make me sick." Cloud said disgustingly. "As Sora would say, I'll have you beaten so badly that you'll be on the floor, crying like a little baby."

"Oh, boohoo!" Sephiroth joked. "I'm so scared!" He then rested his hand on his sword. "Let see the light save you from this."

Cloud grasped the handle of his giant sword with both hands. Electricity sparkled as the two powered up, the ground lightly shaking from their intense power, pebbles floating into the air from their force. The wind began to blow rapidly and rough. The two stared each other down with fires in their eyes. They gave each other a glance of confidence.

"So, winner takes all?" Cloud suggested.

"Agreed," Sephiroth nodded. "This showdown of fate will prove that I, the darkness am far stronger then you."

Cloud felt the presence of all the new friends he met, knowing in spirit they had his back. Nodding, he got his sword into position. The planet began to rumble from their incredible force. At battle that was destined to happen has finally occurred. The two continued to stare at each other with tension in their bodies, their hearts beating, and their blood boiling. Finally, the two dashed at each other, holding their swords out. The two clashed their sword together with a hard clang.

The two struggled against each other and then pushed back. Cloud flew at Sephiroth and they rapidly clashed with each other. Sephiroth swiped at Cloud who jumped over the attack and swatted back at Sephiroth who side stepped the attack, giving a hard thrust back at his rival who did a cartwheel over the attack. The two clashed with each other and spun back. Sephiroth flew into the air, Cloud following short behind.

The two clashed their weapons again, clashing back in forth, not holding back and not backing down. Cloud slashed at Sephiroth who disappeared and reappeared behind him. Cloud charged at him and rapidly clashed with him again. The two backed away, and flew back at each other, clashing again. The two continued this pattern, until they both drew a dark energy ball and blasted each other, knocking back into the ground, sliding across the ground.

They both jumped back up, and Sephiroth fired dark balls energy balls at the hero who dodged them. Cloud jumped backwards, dodging the energy balls. Two appeared beside him, and he ducked under the attack, causing an explosion. He flew onto a mountain, flying around, dodging Sephiroth's dark blasts. Landing on the mountain, he looked around for his opponent.

"Where are you?"

He then heard the wind rushing from behind him. He quickly ducked as something slashed through the peak of the mountain, breaking it in half. Cloud jumped onto a giant piece of the rock, and then looked up to see Sephiroth. Cloud put his sword out as Sephiroth clashed from above. The swung at each other, fierce strikes landing upon their swords. Cloud gave a hard vertical slash, cutting the rock in half, but missing the one winged angel.

Sephiroth jumped from rock to rock with Cloud following short behind. Cloud clashed with Sephiroth again, and Cloud pushed Sephiroth back, clashing in a circular motion with Sephiroth blocking with his sword. Cloud continued to rapidly slash until Sephiroth side stepped again. Sephiroth quickly threw a punch, but Cloud jerked his head back, dodging the attack. He then brought his sword from over his shoulder and clashed with Sephiroth again.

The two jumped back and flew at each other. They clashed again and rapidly blocked and clashed as they slowly flew back down into the arena. From a distance, it looked like giant round lights flashing closely at each other. Finally, the two flew down into the ground, creating a massive explosion of light. The two slid back, breathing heavily from their fight. Both fighters looked at each other again, sweating from the intensity of the duel. Sephiroth smirked at Cloud who smirked as well.

"Good form, Cloud." Sephiroth said impressed. "You've improved greatly." He then made an evil grin. "But, I've only warmed up."

Cloud looked a bit nervous at Sephiroth, wondering if he couldn't win. He then remembered that Sora told him not to lose his light ether. He lightly smiled at his enemy.

"So have I." Cloud responded.

The two lunged at each other again, screaming at the top of their lungs. Their two swords finally gave one finally clang as they collided, creating a giant flash of light. As the light dimmed, they were long gone. Cloud and Sephiroth were never seen again at the coliseum. Next morning, Sora was slowly helped out of bed by his friends. He slowly moved around, getting the feel back in his body. He stretched out a little bit, and soon enough, he was able to move around pretty normally.

Knowing they didn't have anytime to waste, they headed for the Toad Express, with Ash and his friends sending them off. Luigi held onto the trophy as they arrived at the door. Sora turned to Ash and shook his hand.

"Ash, I had an amazing time here." Sora said. "Pokemon are the most amazing creatures I've ever seen."

Pikachu blushed at the comment and made a proud look.

"You should try being a Pokemon trainer yourself, Sora." Ash suggested. "You'd have lots of fun. You could even become a Pokemon Master."

"It's hard enough being the keyblade master, so I think I'll past." Sora chuckled. "Listen, we're going to get going and we'll never forget any of you."

Ash slightly titled his head in confusion, "Are you going somewhere? It sounds like we'll never see you again."

Luigi and Yoshi both glanced at Sora who made a nervous look. He knew that they were onto him. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Ash.

"Sorry, I meant I'm sure we'll see you soon." lied Sora.

"Then take care." Oak said, saying good-bye. "Don't be a stranger. You're always welcomed back here. Next time I won't be as rude."

"And good luck at becoming the world's greatest Pokemon Master, Ash." Sora said as he shook the trainer's hand. "I think you'd be the best."

"Thanks, Sora." Ash chuckled. "Not a lot of people said that." He then looked at Pikachu. "Say good-bye, Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped into Sora's arms and licked his face. Sora chuckled as he received the gentle licks from the Pokemon. The group final said all of their good-byes and boarded the ship. Tails started the engine and blasted off into the deepest, darkest part of the universe. Aboard the ship, everyone sat back in their seats, knowing that the excitement was over. They knew that the serious part was about to commence.

Sora sadly turned to the window, knowing that his journey was almost over. All the amazing adventures he had were going to come to an end. He felt happy knowing that he was going to finally go home, but he wish he didn't have to leave his friends. Meanwhile, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth were all in a group discussion.

"Master Luigi, what is troubling you?" Toadsworth asked.

"The kid is hiding something from us." Luigi told Toadsworth. "Ever since we left Hallow Bastion I saw this look in his eyes, like something was disturbing him."

"Yoshi got Sora down like a book." Yoshi added. "Sora not himself. He hiding something from Yoshi."

"Hm, you could be right." Toadsworth said, gently rubbing his moustache in thought. "Perhaps we should confront our dear friend about this. It's unhealthy to leave something bottled up inside."

"Okay, so we agree then?" Luigi said. "We get it out of him."

"I agree." Toadsworth nodded.

"Yoshi agree, too." Yoshi nodded. He then made a dumbfounded look. "Um, what we agree about again?"

Luigi rolled his eyes and moaned, "Never mind."

Sora sadly sighed out of the window, seeing all of the beautiful stars in the sky. He thought back to the strange and wondrous worlds he's traveled to. From the jungles Kongo Bongo to the giant space ship of the Egg Carrier. Sora held back the tears that came into his eyes. He then felt like he was being watched. Peering over his shoulder, he saw Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth looking at him. Sora felt a hard rock in his throat, a rock that he couldn't push down with a swallow.

"_I'm in trouble." _Sora thought nervously.

"Okay, kid," Luigi said. "I know that look. You're hiding something from us."

"W-who me?" Sora said nervously. "You got all wrong guys, I'm not hiding..."

He noticed everyone frowning at him. They weren't buying his story. He didn't want to tell them his secret, but they were pushing onto revealing it.

"That's it!" huffed Luigi. "If you don't tell us right now, no more meatballs with dinner."

Sora narrowed his eyes, looking at the plumber with a groan.

"Luigi, you're threats are as bad as your own jokes." Sora groaned. "I think I can live with that."

"Okay, um, how about no extra sauce?" Luigi suggested. Sora rolled his eyes. "Um, brush you teeth before every meal? No, no, no, wait!"

"Master Luigi, please stop at once." Toadsworth said. "We're getting no where like this. Threatening Master Sora won't give us the answer we seek."

Luigi was about to say something when the group heard a voice that was not even their own.

"Keyblade master, can you hear me?" called a familiar voice.

"A ghost!" Yoshi cried.

Yoshi quickly dove behind one of the chains and coward. Luigi looked around the room in panic.

"A ghost? Let me out of here!" Luigi panicked.

Luigi also joined Yoshi behind the couch and coward with him. Sora recognized that soft female voice right away.

"Krystal?" Sora asked in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Yes, keyblade master," she responded. "I'm glad I've found."

"I don't see you anywhere though." Sora said, looking around the room.

"I'm talking to you telepathically." Krystal responded. "Listen, Sora, I need you and your friends to return to Hallow Bastion."

"Something wrong, princess?" Toadsworth asked curiously.

"I can't explain it here." she responded. "Please, you must hurry. Something terrible has gone wrong."

Not being the one to back down from helping the princesses, Sora bravely stood up, holding the keyblade in his hand.

"We're on our way!" Sora announced. He then called to Tails. "Tails, back to Hallow Bastion, and step on it!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Tails called.

"Come on!" whined Luigi. "We're so close to facing that white haired freak, and every single time we ether answer a call for help or partake in a tournament! Are we everyone's babysitter?"

"Look, I know this is getting annoying, but this will be the last time we help anyone." Sora rest assured. "I promise!"

"Plus, I'm sure this isn't a plea from just princess Krystal," Toadsworth added. "Probably from the others, including princess Peach." He then paused for a moment, realizing she may be in danger. He then started to panic. "Edgad I say! The princess is in trouble!"

"But we no know that yet." Yoshi pointed out.

"Fine!" Luigi groaned. "To Hallow Bastion then!"

Tails used the warp drive feature to bring the plane back to Hallow Bastion. Sora's group, along with Toadsworth exited and headed to the chapel. On the way, the heartless came at them. With their amazing increase in power, the trio had no problem defeating the heartless. Sora even called Kazooie into battle. She used grenade like eggs to blast opponents aside, she flew into the air and dove down, pecking away at a few of them.

Using her feet, she picked Sora up and flew him across the area. Sora slashed at the heartless in the sky with his keyblade. One fired a laser at them, but Kazooie spun them around, dodging the move. Sora used blizzard and knocked it down. Sora then jumped out of her feet and finished the rest of them with Sonic Blade attack. Sora landed on the ground and put his keyblade away as Kazooie landed next to him.

"Thanks, Kazooie," Sora smiled. "You're a good summon."

"Aw, go on, kid." blushed Kazooie. "I admit, without me you would be mince meat." Sora rolled his eyes. "Only joking, but at least you're lighter to carry then Banjo."

"Banjo a friend of yours?" Sora wondered.

"Yeah, stop by my world sometime and I'll introduce you." Kazooie said with a wink. "Though you should watch out for all the weirdos that live there. Witches, shaman, and talking vegetables. That's the story of my world."

Sora chuckled and returned Kazooie to her summon gem. The four made there way into the main hallway, and then into the library. Inside, they walked up the stairs and arrived to see Fox and Krystal. The princess of heart was on the floor, legs cross, and eyes close. Her breathing was light as she sat there. Sora curiously walked up to Fox and whispered in his ear.

"Hey, man," Sora greeted with a whisper. "Um, what's she doing?"

"She taking nap?" Yoshi asked out loud.

Luigi and Toadsworth both shushed Yoshi up. Fox whispered back to Sora.

"She's meditating," Fox responded. "She's trying to establish communication with the source of the strange energy she's been sensing."

"What energy?" Sora asked.

Fox shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know." Krystal gasped and came out of her trance. Her entire body was trembling from the force she felt. Her mind was boggled with questions, and at the same time, she was completely stunned. Fox put his arms around her, comforting her. "Krystal, are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Fox." Krystal sighed. "But I couldn't establish communication. I've sensed major powers before, but none like this. This was simply...words can't even describe it." She then turned to Sora. "Sora, I believe that the only way to find out what it is..."

"We know, we know," moaned Luigi. "We've got to investigate."

"It would put us at ease." Krystal nodded. "I can count on your, right?" The trio nodded. "Perhaps, the others could give you some more information about this power. I suggest taking Fox along for help." Fox nodded to her and she then hugged him. "Be careful, my love."

The two kissed each other lightly on the lips, holding their love strong. Luigi impatiently tapped his foot.

"Would you two stop and let's get moving?" Luigi said.

"I'll see you later, Krystal." Fox said, saying good-bye.

The five made their way into the secret elevator and used it to rise up to the chapel entrance. The group easily disposed off all the heartless, and quickly ran into the next room where the princesses of heart were all in group discussions. Sora noticed a strange dark portal that appeared in the center of the room. He recognized it at the same one that lead to Bowser. He felt his spine tremble, wondering if the evil Koopa King was alive. Peach approached the group with the other princesses behind her.

"Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, Toadsworth, thank goodness you came to help." sighed Peach with relief.

"Of course, princess." Toadsworth said with determination in his eyes. "I'm sworn to help you in dire need! It's my duty!"

"I knew I could count on you, Toadsworth." smiled Peach. "But, why don't you stay with us? This mission is a bit dangerous."

Luigi and Yoshi both gulped nervously, knowing that dangerous was their least favorite word.

"What appears to be the problem?" Fox asked.

Tooty stepped forward, "A gate of darkness has appeared. I don't know if it's the sign of something bad or good. It's power has left me a lost for words."

"From this gate that suddenly appeared, I can feel a power of darkness." Peach said, observing the portal. She then sensed it again, realizing something horrible. "Wait! This isn't darkness at all! It's...different from anything I've ever felt! Maybe even more dangerous then darkness!"

Yoshi and Sora restrained Luigi as he tried to run.

"Let me out of here!" Luigi screamed. "I want my mommy!"

"Luigi, you look like an idiot right now." Sora snapped.

"I'm willing to risk my reputation right now to look like one!" Luigi shouted.

"What reputation?" chuckled Fox.

"I just have a bad feeling about this." Dixie said nervously.

"I'm sure that we could hold back the power of darkness just a little bit, but this is completely different. A power other than darkness." Zelda said.

"Other than?" Sora wondered. _"Darkness, light, only powers I can think of." _

"A third power between the light and darkness." Zelda pondered. "What could this mean?"

Samus nodded, "What could it be for that matter? We'd check it ourselves, but the force is holding us back."

"Don't worry because we'll investigate." Sora insisted with confidence.

"Thank you, Sora." Peach smiled with appreciation. "I knew we could count on you." She then made a worried look. "Just be careful."

Sora nodded and left for the portal. The others followed into the portal as well with Yoshi nervously holding Luigi's hand. They arrived in the same room where they claimed their victory against Giga Bowser. The room was completely silent, not a word was said. The four didn't notice any changes since their last time here. The four split up and looked around for anything strange. There was nothing at all.

The foursome searched for a few minutes, leaving no stone unturned. Everything seemed pretty calm to them. They thought the princesses made some mistake, but how could six of them sense the same thing? Shrugging their shoulders, the trio regrouped near the portal.

"You guys find anything?" Luigi asked.

Sora shook his head, "It's all peaceful." He then put his hands on his hips, unsure about something. "I can't help feeling like something's wrong."

"Is Sora sick?" asked a concerned Yoshi.

"I'm fine, I just have a bad feeling." Sora said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Weird," Fox said worryingly. "I feel bad, too."

"Well, you feel bad, I'll run like mad for the exit." Luigi said, ready to leave.

Yoshi felt as if though someone was directly behind him. Turning around, he saw a shrouded form that faded in and out of existence. Slow eerier sounds of a buzzing noise appeared around the form. Yoshi got nervous and ran over to Luigi, knocking him over.

"Ow!" Luigi cried. "Yoshi!"

"Luigi, there something here!" cried a frantic Yoshi.

"Listen, you have issues where you like to hallucinate things." Luigi said. "It's nothing to..." Luigi then noticed the mysterious being making its way towards Sora. He started to sweat upon seeing it. "Okay, everything is cool. My eyes are a little dirty, let me clean them out." Luigi rubbed his eyes, hoping what he was seeing would go away. Upon opening them, he saw the form approaching Sora at a fast rate. "Holy ravioli! Sora, watch out!"

"Huh?" Sora asked confused.

The boy turned around to see the mysterious figure almost upon him, gasping and falling back as it reached him. But it walked straight through him. A flash appeared in Sora's mind and he saw all of his memories of everything that happened up to this point. His days on Destiny Island, the night of the storm, arriving at Isle Delfino, his fights against Leon and Guard Armor, teaming up with Luigi and Yoshi, traveling to other worlds, reuniting with Riku, battling Ganon, Riku's betrayal in Shyguy's toybox, more visits to worlds, Riku siding with the heartless, Yoshi and Sora's friendship growing stronger, Sora's duel at Hallow Bastion with Riku and Ansem, the promise Sora made to Kairi, and the fight at the coliseum.

Sora fell backwards, his mind feeling like it was just zapped by lightning. The others ran to his aid, making sure he was okay. Sora put his hand over his eyes, he never felt a feeling like this. He felt like whatever did that just reached into his memory bank for a viewing pleasure. Yoshi licked Sora's face to comfort him.

"Sora, what happened?" Fox asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

"It's so weird," Sora groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I felt like everything we ever did flashed before my eyes. I lost control of everything in that instance. I thought I couldn't even breath."

"Don't look now, but we have an uninvited guest." Luigi gulped nervously.

Sora turned around to notice a cloaked figure with his back turned to them. His coat was a dark-greyish color. His entire body was covered, showing no sign of skin, nor showing if the person was male or female. He wore dark grey boots, dark gray gloves, and his jacket zipped up to the top. The figure's face was hidden away in his hood, making it impossible to see the face.

Sora never saw a person like that before. He was different from the heartless, or Ansem for that matter. His muscles tightened, his breathing became light, he felt tingly all over. Truly it was a frightening moment. Sora stood up and bravely stepped forward, trying to establish communication with this person.

"Who are you?" Sora demanded to know. "Why did you sneak up on us like that?"

The figure simply stood his ground, staring blankly into space. He didn't speak at all, but something strange happen. The four could see the words appear in their minds. They were left in shock by this.

"Ah...it seems you are special too." said the figure.

The four startled back, shaking their heads from the incident. This person's way of speaking was even more eerier than the way Mewtwo spoke.

"How did he do that?" Sora asked in shock.

"Let's not stick around to find out!" Luigi said, running for the exit.

He ran for the exit, only to see the portal has disappeared. Luigi gulped nervously, his heart beating rapidly, he knew that they were in for it now. He slowly walked back to the group, staying close to feel safe. Yoshi began to wonder about this person's identity. He then figured it out.

"Ansem?" Yoshi cried. "It Ansem!"

"Are you sure?" Sora asked Yoshi. "Maybe it's a trick!"

The man looked over his shoulder, glimpsing at the four. His words appearing in their minds again.

"It sounds familiar to me." the figure said.

The man held out his hand, reveling his dark glove. All of a sudden, a strange blue light filled with a lattice of hexagonal shapes began to fizzle in it. He kept his back away from the group who could sense that Ansem or whoever it was wanted to fight them. Sora took his keyblade out, gripping the handles tightly. Fox took out Krystal's staff, holding both sides of it.

"Get ready everyone," Fox whispered. "This guy didn't come for cake and coffee."

"Where?" Yoshi asked excitedly.

Sora notice the man exchanging another glance at him directly.

"You look just like him." the man said.

Sora didn't know rather to take that as an offense or a confusing remark.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked.

Sora gasped as he saw the man turning around, holding the energy. Sora quickly put his keyblade up horizontally, and held the back with both hands. The man fired the energy at Sora who blocked it. The energy gave a hard impact on the keyblade, pushing Sora back towards the wall. He gave all his effort and pushed the energy back at the man.

The man quickly grab the energy ball and spun his body in the air and gave an underhand throw back at Sora. The boy quickly moved his head left to dodge the attack. Sora noticed the energy ball coming right back at him. Sora blocked it again with his keyblade and finally pushed into the air, hitting the ceiling. Sora turned back to the stranger, already out of breath. A shower of mortar and fine stone descended from the impact of the energy. Some which hit Luigi in the head.

"Ah!" Luigi cried

The shrouded man turned to face Sora's group. He didn't have any emotion or could hear the sound of his breathing. They didn't even know if this person was even human. He seemed to be thinking about something, but it was hard to tell from the darkness around his face.

"It shows...you're incomplete." the man said. "You remain incomplete. However, that power you hold..."

Sora got ready along with the others. They knew this battle wouldn't be easy, but they had to give it all they've got. The group saw the words one last time before the fight.

"Allow me to test your power." the man concluded.

The four bravely got ready and charged at the man. Sora leaped at the figure who side stepped his attack. Sora rapidly slashed at the man, only to see him dodge the attacks at speeds he's never seen before. The man effortlessly knocked Sora aside without even flinching. Sora slid across the room and used his feet to kick back up.

"_He's so fast!" _Sora thought in shock. _"It's like he knows my every attack."_

Luigi fired blizzard spells and Yoshi fired eggs at the man. The figure put his hand out, creating a blue wall of energy that protected him from the attacks. The man then held both of his hands out and fired to energy balls, which collided to create one big ball. The energy blasted the duo into a wall. Fox charged with his staff in hand and brought it down, and as if like a bullet, the man took out a red sword of light and blocked the attack.

Fox angrily spun his staff around as he tried to land a blow on the figure. The figure clashed with everyone of Fox's blows, dodging left and right as he went. Fox spun his body horizontally, sending a hard swipe, but the figure did a back flip over it. Fox rapidly slashed again, the man blocking the attacks with his sword. Fox finally cornered the man into a wall, but as he gave a thrust, the figure spun out of the way and slashed the fox's back.

Fox felt the burning pain from the attack of the energy. He fell back and held his back, trying to lessen the pain. Sora quickly dove in and slashed the man in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall. He was shocked to see the man effortlessly stand up and brush himself off. Sora couldn't even hear a cry of anguish from this person. The man bolted forward and slashed Sora hard in the chest, burning a piece of his shirt off. Sora rested his hand on the chest, feeling the burning pain.

Sora ran at him again and clashed with him. Electricity flowed from their amazing power, both struggling against each other. The figure became interested in Sora's power as he held his ground. Sora jumped back and a gave a thrust at the man who side stepped and used his energy wall to knock the boy back. Luigi used gravity which knocked the man back. Taking the chance, Sora rammed the man into the ground and tried to bring the keyblade down on him.

The man slid under Sora's attack and jumped back up, slashing Sora in the back again. Fox used his earthquake attack on the man, but he jumped over Fox's attack and kicked him aside. Yoshi shot another egg at the man who effortlessly dodged it. He was defiantly a hassle, but if they work hard enough, there was a chance of beating him. Sora threw his keyblade at the man who dodged again, but Fox came in from the side and slashed his shoulder, knocking him aside.

The man quickly recovered from the attack and fired blue energy beams at the group. They quickly dodge the insane amount of blasts that came at them. The group panted nervously, they were close to taking the hit. The group charged at the man again who stood, ready to face them. Luigi and Yoshi both jumped up and kicked the man in the face, quickly and hardly. With the man stunned, Sora and Fox both slashed at the man in the stomach, knocking him back.

The man stood up and brushed himself off, "Impressive. I guess I'll need to take it up a notch."

The man drew two swords of light and leaped forward at the group. Luigi and Yoshi attacked from both sides, but the man side stepped them and slashed them both aside. Sora called Tails into battle to heal them of any wounds. Tails was astonished by the figure's appearance.

"Who is that?" Tails asked in surprise.

"Wish we knew." Fox replied.

The man clashed his swords with both Sora and Fox who backed up. The two clashed and dodged from both sides of the attack, trying to at least get one hit in on the figure, but couldn't. The figure rushed passed the and knocked them over. He then jumped into the air and fired more energy beams. The two quickly rushed backwards, trying to dodge the blasts from the man. The two were cornered at the edge of the room as the man fired red energy bolts at them.

Fox spun his staff around, deflecting every attack, putting a lot of strain and effort.

"Hit him now, Sora!" Luigi cried.

Sora quickly jumped into the air and slashed the man aside, sending him crashing into the ground. The man quickly kicked back up and put his arms across his chest. They could tell he was up to something as an outline of blue light appeared on his body. All of a sudden the energy was released, a giant ball of energy surrounding the man, and small lasers flying all around the room from the ball. The group narrowly dodged the attacks, a few which hit them.

One attack hit Tails, knocking him down. Sora quickly returned him to the summon gem to heal him. The attack finally ended and the man fired red energy beams that hit everyone, knocking them over. They panted and sweated from every blow. They thought they couldn't go on, but they had to try. Sora charged again at the figure who stood ready. Sora and the man ran at each other with full speed and power. Upon impact, Sora knocked both swords out of the man's hand.

Sora brought his keyblade up and brought it down with a hard and vicious blow. The man jolted back from the attack, not expecting a hard blow from the key wielder. Sora took a giant step forward and brought his body around and gave one finally slash, knocking the man back. Finally, the man seemed finished as he stumbled backwards, clutching his chest with a blue energy ball in it. Sora leaned on his keyblade, no longer having any fight. The others couldn't even continue as Luigi was too tired to even use cure magic.

Everyone gasped in horror as the man stood up and pushed the energy away with his hand, resulting in a wave of blue and black energy.

"This guy in unreal." Fox panted tiredly. "It's like our attacks had no effect on him."

The man looked at Sora, again with darkness entering his mind.

"...Truly fascinating." the man said.

With his last bit of will and strength, Sora stood up, confused by the man's words.

"Huh?"

The man stood ready.

"This I'm going to enjoy." he said.

Fed up with the man's riddles, Sora took his keyblade and ran at him.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Sora asked angrily.

Sora leaped into the air, keyblade held high. Sora felt like he went color blind for a split second, his body completely frozen. He heard a buzzing sound and finished the attack, only to miss as the man half-fades in and then back. Sora turned to man, annoyed and tired.

"Figures, at your present state you'd probably not understand." the man said, a bit humored. "However, you've got my attention." The hooded man looked over his shoulder to see the boy with his blue eyes, exhausted from all the fighting. "My work here is done." He then turned to leave. "In any case, the time when we can meet again will doubtless come."

Fox, Luigi, and Yoshi joined their friend as he staggered back, too tired to even stand up. Fox let Sora put his weight on him, trying to keep him a balance.

"Man, he did a number on you." Fox exclaimed.

Sora's eyes began to close, he felt himself losing consciousness, he was too weak from the blows he received. He weakly spoke up one more time.

"Tell me," Sora said weakly. "What are you?"

Everyone gasped as the man faded away from them, his invisible ripples moving, indicating he was moving, subtly moving away from the group.

"I am..." his voice whispered.

Sora couldn't hold on any longer and finally fainted, hearing his friends exclaiming. In the darkness of his mind, he heard the voice one last time.

"...a mere shell..."


	34. The Final Duel in Darkness Part I

**Chapter XXXIII: The Final Duel in Darkness Part I**

Sora's mind was baffled with riddles as he laid beneath his quilt. After the battle against the strange clocked figure, the others were able to get him to a bed. In his mind, he was haunted by the stranger's words. "He looks just like you." Those words he couldn't shake off. Finally, Sora could feel his body regain consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly, taking his time in doing so. His vision was blurry as came to. He saw a green blur in front of him. He knew who it was right away.

"Yoshi?" Sora asked weakly.

"Hi, Sora." Yoshi said softly. "Take it easy."

Sora took his left hand and rubbed his eyes, trying to gain his vision back, wiping any particles in his eyes away. He finally looked up to see Yoshi clearly, looking at him with a smile. He looked down to see he was in a bed with red sheets, and a giant blanket. To his left, he saw a study with a desk, a small candle lantern, and books neatly stacked around it. He saw tons of bookshelves all around the room with books resting inside them.

Sora remembered his fight against the cloaked figure. Such a power, he thought. It was nothing he's ever seen before. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time they would meet that cloaked figure. Sora turned back to Yoshi and pet his head.

"Hey, little buddy," Sora smiled. "Are you alright?"

"Yoshi should be the one to ask that." giggled Yoshi. "Sora one who fell down and went boom!"

Sora rubbed his head and chuckled, "Guess you're right about that, Yoshi."

"Well, at least you're okay, kid." said a relieved voice.

Sora recognized the voice, he knew it was Luigi's voice. He noticed the plumber sitting at the edge of his bed with a relief look in his eyes.

"Luigi, you're okay too." Sora said.

"No, I'm in a wheelchair, and I can never move again." Luigi said sarcastically.

"Heh, heh, good old Luigi." snickered Sora. He then groaned, rubbing his face. "What happened?"

"Well, we were in a fight with that cloaked freak," Luigi explained. "He seemed to be speaking in tongues though. I had no idea what he was talking about."

"Who was he?" Sora whispered.

"Beats me," shrugged Luigi. "If you ask me, that guy is probably just a lost soul looking for a good time. We shouldn't worry about him."

"Yeah, we should be going after Ansem." Sora responded. "He needs to be dealt with first."

"Others outside." Yoshi told Sora. "They worried about Sora."

"Then let's go see them!" Sora announced.

"Hold up!" Luigi said, stopping everyone. "Before we do go outside, there is something we need to discuss." He then slid closer to the other two. "Now that it is just the three of us here, with no other interruptions," He then turned to Sora. "It's time you told us what you're hiding." Sora was about to speak, but Luigi snapped at him. "No excuses! You know what they say, 'the truth will set you free'".

Sora sweated nervously. He knew that he wasn't going to get off so easily this time. He wish he didn't have to tell them right now, but there was nothing he could do. He felt his breath become hard as a rock. He was cornered by his two companions and friends. Yoshi walked over and sat next to Sora.

"Sora, if you don't tell, Yoshi going to make that face." Yoshi threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Sora snarled.

"Oh, Yoshi would dare." laughed the dinosaur. "I going to do it."

"Confess now, kid," Luigi said. "Or prepare to have extreme cuteness rain upon you!"

"I can take it!" Sora said bravely.

Yoshi widen his eyes which caused a sparkle to appear in his pupils. Yoshi shook his lower lip, making a pouting look. Yoshi whimpered lightly at Sora, who tried to resist the look, but it was too adorable, Sora couldn't take it. Yoshi was winning over the keyblade master.

"Please!" Yoshi said with cuteness in his voice. "With a cheery on top?"

Sora screamed, defeated from the cuteness. He couldn't resist it anymore.

"Alright, alright!" Sora shouted. "You win! I'll tell you!" He then sighed and turned to Luigi. "How can you deal with that?"

"Stare at a picture of that face for five hours." Luigi responded. "That always help." He then frowned. "Don't stall kid! Out with it!"

Sora took a deep breath in and out, ready to confess his secret. He feared the results when he told them how they were never going to see each other again. Luigi, probably would understand, but Yoshi...that's another story.

"Guys," Sora gulped, chocking up a little bit. "You two have made my adventure totally fun. I'd rather be here with you, than go back to my island. It would have been more fun if Riku and Kairi were here but, I'm just glad I had this chance to travel to other worlds."

"So, your point is.." Luigi asked, trying to get to the bottom of the situation.

Sora sighed sadly, "When we beat Ansem, the worlds will become separate again. We'll go back home to our own worlds."

"Is that what this about?" Luigi said. He then sighed with relief. "Oh, kid, just tell us where you live and we'll..."

"There's more," Sora interrupted. "The reason we never knew about other worlds was because we were all surrounded by a barrier." Luigi and Yoshi started to get a little worried upon hearing that. "That barrier was destroyed by the heartless, and when we beat Ansem..."

"...those walls will return." Luigi concluded. He was at a lost for words. He knew what was going to happen. He clenched his hand onto the bed sheets, upset and angry.

The trio remained silent for the moment. The room was engulfed by the sound of silence. Sora put his head down, extremely upset about the whole thing. Sora felt tears pouring into eyes. With all his might he held them back. Slowly looking up, he looked at his two friends who looked at him.

"That means..." Sora said sadly. "We'll never see each other again."

Yoshi was shocked. He couldn't believe that he was never going to be able to see Sora again. His best friend was going to leave him forever. He couldn't accept the fact. Tears rushed down his face, his heart felt like it was smashed into a million pieces by this painful turn of events.

"Why?" Yoshi shouted. "Why? Sora promised that we stay together forever! Sora can't leave Yoshi! Sora can't leave Yoshi! Please don't leave!"

"I wish I could stay," Sora whispered sadly. "But I can't." Yoshi jumped off the bed and ran for the door. "Yoshi, please wait! Let me explain!"

Yoshi angrily turned back to Sora, tears pouring down his face. Anger rising from him. Sora promised they would be together forever.

"Sora don't need!" Yoshi said angrily. "Sora lie to Yoshi! He said we stay best friends forever, and now Sora have to leave?"

"But..."

Yoshi abruptly slammed the door as Sora ran up to it. Sora pressed his face against the door, his depression filling his entire body. He felt like a fool, he should have told them when he had the chance. Luigi walked over to Sora and patted the boy's back.

"Sora, I'm sorry." Luigi said calmly. "I didn't know how painful this was for you."

Sora slammed his fist into the door, "This is all my fault. I should have told you earlier about this."

"It's okay." Luigi said warmly. "Kid, I know how badly you feel about this. I'm going to miss you so much, and I honestly mean that." Sora turned to Luigi, feeling a little better. "We're your friends and we had a right to know. If ever something is wrong, always talk about it with us. I can deal with the pain...except if it's falling down a flight of stairs." Sora lightly chuckled. "You've been a good friend, you'll always be a memory that can not be forgotten."

"Thanks, Luigi." Sora smiled. "What about Yoshi?"

Luigi gasped in horror, "Oh, no! He ran out of the room! He could have ran to somewhere in this castle! Come on, Sora!"

Luigi and Sora both left the room and headed down the main hallway. The duo arrived back in the chapel, where the others all ran up to them.

"Sora, are you okay?" Dixie asked.

"I'm fine now," Sora said with haste. "But Yoshi ran off and we need to find him!"

"Oh, dear!" Peach exclaimed. She then looked at her hand. "I broke a nail!" Everyone else groaned. She then turned to Sora. "What were you saying, Sora?"

"I said that Yoshi ran off." Sora repeated.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed again."We have to find him! Everyone split up!"

Sora, Luigi, Toadsworth, Fox, and the princesses ran off into separate areas of the castle to find Yoshi. Zelda and Samus checked the room where the keyhole was, searching high and low. Dixie and Tootie searched the upper hallways. Peach and Toadsworth checked the lower hallways, the two foxes checked the library, and Sora and Luigi checked the basement.

The basement was dark and someone could have easily gotten lost. Sora hope that the heartless didn't get to Yoshi and hurt him in anyway. Sora remembered the basement from his first visit to Hallow Bastion, when he and Fox came down here. Sora continued to walk through the dark area with Luigi at his side. He was about to give up hope when he heard a familiar whimpering noise.

"Take one guess on what that sound is." Luigi told Sora.

"Yoshi whimpering?" Sora replied.

"I thought so." Luigi nodded

The duo followed Yoshi's frightened sounds until they reached the end of the basement. Sora walked behind the only corner there and saw Yoshi, curled into a ball, shivering with his back against the wall. Sora bent down to him and tried to pet him, but Yoshi waved his arm at the boy, indicating not to touch.

"Keep away from Yoshi." Yoshi said hurtfully. "Sora just a big lair!"

"Listen, don't you want to hear what I have to say?" Sora asked, a bit disappointment.

"No!"

"Yoshi!" Luigi snapped, fed up with Yoshi being stubborn. "Sora isn't a liar!"

"But...he promised we best friends forever?" Yoshi said sadly.

"And we are." Sora nodded in agreement. "But you can't blame me for something I can't control. If there was someway to prevent the walls I would have found away to stop it. There's nothing I can do though." He bent down to Yoshi. "I didn't want to tell you because it would break your heart. I'm not lying about being your best buddy, I'm just as upset about this as your are. No matter what happens, we'll always be best friends forever."

Yoshi looked up at Sora and ran into his arms. Tears poured down his face. He felt so bad for being rude to Sora.

"Yoshi so sorry, Sora." Yoshi said with his face buried in Sora's chest. "Can Sora ever forgive Yoshi?"

"You know I always do." Sora smiled warmly. He then rested his head on Yoshi's shoulder, whispering in the dinosaur's ear. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Yoshi going to miss Sora times a million." Yoshi responded.

Sora smiled and stroked Yoshi's back. He pulled him away and held him in the air. Yoshi looked at Sora's blue eyes, seeing the joy and carefreeness that Sora had. He knew nothing would be the same again without his yellowed shoed pal. Sora then made a serious look at him.

"Right, now," Sora said in all seriousness. "We have a mission to complete. We need to be strong, Yoshi. The three of us need to stick together."

Yoshi nodded, a sign of seriousness in his eyes. He nodded bravely, knowing they had a job to do and that was to save all the worlds. Everyone was depending on them to bring down the darkness. Sora smiled at Yoshi, and turned to Luigi who nodded. The trio looked at each other, knowing they may never see each other again, but their hearts would stay connected no matter what.

"Let's go!" Luigi announced. "To our destinies, to where the stars are the limits."

The trio left the basement and headed back to the chapel, where the other princesses awaited their arrival. Peach walked up to the group and looked at Yoshi.

"Yoshi, you scared us to death." she scolded Yoshi. "Don't ever run off like that again." Yoshi put his head down.

"Take it easy, Peach." Luigi said. "He was just a little upset."

Peach smiled and pet Yoshi's head, "I'm sorry I yelled, but don't wander off like that again, okay?"

"Okay." Yoshi nodded.

Sora walked over to Peach and made a sad look, "I'm going to miss you, Princess Peach."

"Take care, Sora." Peach responded shaking his hand. "Always remember that you have friends who are by your side."

Sora nodded and said good-bye to the other princesses as well. He then shook Fox's hand.

"Bye, Fox."

"Take care, kid." Fox said. "Wish you could travel to other world though. Could have stopped and see our world. We could always use another Starfox pilot."

"I think I'll pass on that." Sora chuckled. "You see, awhile ago I caused the Toad Express to make a crash-landing."

"Please, don't remind me." Luigi groaned.

Sora and Yoshi started laughing, remembering the look on Luigi's face from when the Toad Express went out of control. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth said good-bye to Peach and said, that they hope to see her later. After saying good-bye to everyone, the four left the area and headed for the Toad Express. Peach stepped forward and worryingly watched them leave.

"Come back alive." Peach whispered.

"Do you think they can beat Ansem?" Dixie asked them.

Fox just smirked, "Without out a doubt they can. Those three are the greatest heros I've ever met. They've got to drive to fight, the power to succeed, but Sora's got a chicken in the group."

"Fox!" Krystal snapped.

"What?" Fox argued. "Do you know how many times Luigi ran behind something when we fought an enemy?"

Meanwhile, the four boarded the Toad Express and Tails started the engine. Sora sat back in his seat and looked out the window, seeing the blackness of space. He took a deep breath, knowing they had to take care of Ansem now. He relaxed though, knowing that Luigi and Yoshi had his back through thick and thin.

The Toad Express left Hallow Bastion and flew into the darkest part of space. Tails had never flew in these parts before, and dark waves of energy impacted the Toad Express. The waves were harsh and they were actually tilting the Toad Express. The group were tossed all over their seats, the impact was so strong that their seatbelts broke, and they dragged across the floor.

The four ran into each other and crashed into the side. The plane titled the other way and they all dragged across the floor. Luigi hit his head on the wall, groaning all the way. He looked up and saw the others sliding towards him. Luigi screamed and quickly spun out of the way as the others crashed into the wall.

Luigi sighed with relief, "That was close. Finally, my luck must be changing." A flower pot then hit Luigi on the head. "Ow! Ugh, never mind!"

The air pressure around the area began to increase, the wind pushed against the Toad Express. A thunderstorm emerged from a dark cloud in the sky. It was like a nightmare, a storm that violently tossed the Toad Express around. Tails gripped the controls tightly, trying to gain control, but it was no use. Sora quickly got to the cockpit to where Tails was.

"Tails, what's happening?" Sora asked.

"This storm is too powerful," Tails struggled. "I don't know if she can last much longer." The two then looked out the window to see a world approaching them. The world was a giant purple ball with light blue rings around them. "I think that's the world we've been shooting for."

All of a sudden, a lightning bolt blasted the wing of the plane. The blast was so strong, that the wing fell of, causing the plane to spin out of control. Everyone screamed as they were spinning to their doom.

"This is not cool!" Sora cried. "Unless we don't find away to get out of here, we're going to end up being piles of ruble."

"We need to evacuate the premises immediately!" Tails instructed.

Sora and Tails both left the cockpit and returned to the room where the others were. Tails quickly ran to the door, aggressively opening the door. The wind rushed into the room as the plane began to spin its way down into the world. Tails grabbed Toadsworth and jumped out of the plane. He used his tails to fly their way down safely. The trio used the glide ability to escape as well. The Toad Express spun out of control, with the entire body burning from flying down so fast.

Finally, the Toad Express exploded before the group's eyes. Toadsworth was in shock upon seeing this.

"No, the Toad Express," Toadsworth said sadly. "It took us two years to make it for the princess, and now it's destroyed."

"You should be more lucky to have your life, Toadsworth." Tails pointed out.

Toadsworth sighed, "You're right, Master Tails. Life is the most important value."

Sora's group flew over to join the others.

"You guys alright?" Luigi asked.

"We're find, Master Luigi." Toadsworth responded. "But we have no way to return to any other worlds now."

"Well, this is our final destination," Sora said. "When we beat Ansem, it will all end here."

Yoshi and Luigi nodded in agreement and Toadsworth sighed sadly. They slowly turned around and made their way into their final world. They knew that the road ahead wasn't going to be a piece of cake, but they were willing to go the distance. They descended into their final world, the final world where evil awaited them.

World Name: End of the World

The five slowly floated down and arrived on the surface of the final world. Upon landing, Tails returned into his summon gem for safe keeping. Toadsworth slowly got onto Yoshi's back, and the trio walked over to their right. They arrived inside a small cave and walked through it. At the end of it, they saw a light and entered it.

Upon exiting the cave, they were in amazement upon what they saw. The world was on a water-like surface. Small stone that contained treasure chests were set up all over the area. Further down, they noticed a giant purple ball, glowing with a sense of darkness. They've been worlds where there have been towns, jungles, and castles, but never a strange world like this.

Yoshi stepped forward and looked around at the area. Sora could feel the heartless all around them. They knew that this wasn't a ordinary world. This world was in fact a world created by the heartless.

"So, this all that's left of the worlds taken by the heartless?" Yoshi asked.

"Possibly, Yoshi," Toadsworth figured. "A great source of darkness seems to be gathered here."

"If we beat Ansem," Sora began. "Then those worlds will become restored, right?"

"Of course!" Luigi responded with a nod. "The darkness should lift, and the worlds that were long forgotten will be restored. I bet a meatball grinder on it."

"Indeed," Toadsworth agreed. "All those hearts who were lost by the darkness should return home." He noticed Sora resting his chin on his hand. He could tell Sora was in deep thought. "Something troubling you, Master Sora?"

"Yeah." nodded Sora. "I've been thinking about this, and I wonder, if we do beat Ansem and the worlds become restored and disconnected, what would happen to this place? Better yet, what would happen to us?"

"Why that's easy." Luigi said proudly. "It's...um..." He then began to ponder to himself

"Well? Got an answer, Mr. Know-it-All?" Sora asked, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Yeah," Luigi nodded. "And that is...I'll tell you next week."

Sora smacked his forehead in frustration. Yoshi was thinking about it too, and he may have found an answer.

"This heartless world, right?" Yoshi asked. "Maybe it just disappear."

"Huh?" Sora gasped in shock, looking at Yoshi.

"What?" Luigi and Toadsworth exclaimed in unison.

They were shocked. They never expect Yoshi to say something like that.

"A-are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Pretty sure." Yoshi responded with a nod. "We no heartless, it won't hurt us." He then walked up to Luigi and Sora. "But Sora, Luigi, and Toadsworth no worry because even if place go bye-bye, our hearts not going anywhere. We'd find our pals again. Yoshi feel it in his gut that we will."

Sora smiled, feeling reassurance from Yoshi. He knew that everything would turn out alright in the end. Even if this world disappeared, Sora would safely be back on his island.

"You're right, Yoshi." Sora said. "We shouldn't worry at all." He then smirked at Luigi. "Too bad you couldn't think of that."

"Oh, I did," Luigi lied. "It's just that Yoshi beat me to the punch."

Sora rolled his eyes and chuckled. He then remembered something and went through his pocket. After a few seconds of searching, he pulled the charm that Kairi gave him. He knew that he wasn't alone anymore as long as his friends were with him, and Kairi was there in spirit. A part of her was inside of him, and he made a promise to her. A promise he will never break.

"_Kairi, when this is all over, I will return this to you." _Sora thought to himself. _"I promise." _

The group stepped forward, ready to enter their final world. They looked at each other, knowing this could be the last time they see each other. Luigi smiled and put his hand out.

"We may not come out of this alive." Luigi realized. "But, for old times sake, let's make the promise we made when we first met."

Yoshi placed his hand on top of Luigi's and Toadsworth reached over, placing his hand on top of Yoshi's. Sora looked at his three friends with tears streaming out of his eyes. He was so happy to have known his three friends would always be there for him. Sora sniffled his tears away and placed his hand on top of Toadsworth's hand.

"All for one and one for all." Sora said out loud.

"Together we stand..." Yoshi began.

"...together we fall." Luigi finished.

The group released their hands and turned back to the entire area. Sora took his keyblade out and bravely pointed it at the area.

"Guys, let's go!" Sora announced. "To Ansem!"

The group made their way into the world of darkness, expecting the worse from the heartless. As they walked forward, they saw a giant ball of darkness appear above them. They were shocked to see it fall right on top of them. They arrived on a small island, surrounded by purple rocky mountains, and beautiful pointy crystals. The group looked in awe at this amazing place, but soon a group of old "friends" came to play.

The heartless they encountered where the ones they fought against during the tournament. That included the heartless with giant swords, the magical winged heartless, and the floating round ones. Sora used his keyblade and slashed aside the sword heartless. He clashed with one and ducked as another one a gave him a hard thrust. Sora bent over and kicked both heartless back up, sending them high into the sky.

Sora used Strike Raid, finishing off the two heartless. Luigi used Aeroga to block the magic attacks from the flying heartless. He tried to use firaga, but the flying heartless defended themselves with their wings. Luigi used a fire uppercut, and knocked them out. Yoshi shot eggs at the round heartless, also trying to protect Toadsworth in the process. The group continued to fight the heartless until they were defeated.

Upon defeating the last one, a bright light consumed them and returned them back to the main area. The group looked around, a bit dazed and confused by what happened.

"Uh, what was that about?" a confused Sora asked.

"It's obvious, Master Sora," Toadsworth responded. "Ansem knows we're here, and probably set up booby-traps all over this world. I fear that was only the beginning."

Luigi and Yoshi gulped in unison, knowing that things would only get worse from here. Sora ran forward and the others followed.

"I'm ready for anything he dishes out!" Sora cried. "Let's rock and roll!"

The group continued to walk through the surface of the world, staying full alert and aware of there surroundings. Though it was tempting, the group stayed away from the treasure chests, fearing there may have been a trap planned for them. The group felt their hearts beating, feeling nervous, knowing that the heartless were around every corner.

All of a sudden, the group looked up and saw another dark energy ball approaching them. They tried to run from it, but a force of gravity pulled them into it. The group arrived in the exact same area again, encountering more heartless. Sora delivered blows on the heartless, feeling the force of their bodies at he sliced through them. Sora used Sonic Blade, dashing through them, delivering quick and hard blows.

Luigi used F.L.U.D.D to spray some of the shadows away from him. He also used his smash moves to knock some of them back, such as the Luigi Tornado or fireball attacks. Yoshi ate some and spat them out at others. Because of their intense training, it was a fairly easy battle against the group of heartless. After defeating them, the four once again returned to the surface of the world. The group continued to make their way through the area, once again keeping their eyes peeled for the heartless.

The group continued to walk without any disturbances, until they finally reached the giant purple ball in the middle. Sora took a deep breath, and bravely jumped into it. The other soon followed into it, flying through a dark purple vortex. They didn't know what was awaiting them on the other side, but they were ready for whatever it was. The group finally reached the edge of the vortex and another flash appeared before them and they arrived inside the purple core.

The group looked to see the outside of the core. The group then heard a growling sound, but were unaware about what it was. Sora's group glanced over their shoulders and saw another Behemoth standing before them.

"Oh, no!" Luigi exclaimed. "You again? Can't you bother some other keyblade master?" It roared at their faces. "I'll take that as a no."

Sora and his group charged at Behemoth who made his horn glow a bright yellow. He released the energy from within his horn, shooting dark energy balls at them. The group quickly jumped out of the way, dodging all of the attacks. Sora and Luigi used gravity magic, weakening the heartless beast. The trio quickly jumped onto the bask of the beast and attacked the horn with all they've got.

Since they already faced this heartless twice, they knew his weakness and had no problem defeating this creature again. Sora finished the battle quickly with a hard, critical blow to the back. The creature roared in pain and caused a massive explosion, sending the four flying across the area. As they landed, another light consumed them and warped them through it. After floating through it, they arrived in another area.

This one was on top of a mountain area with ledges sticking out of it. The mountains were colored purple, and crystal stuck out of every part of the mountain. Above them was a sky completely covered by darkness that extended across the area. There were high up on the mountains, looking down at the ledges that stuck out from it. The wind blew lightly in the sky, giving them a small chill.

"Where are we now?" Toadsworth asked.

"No where close to Ansem." Sora sighed in disappointment.

"Bad man really good at hide-and-seek." Yoshi complimented. "Where do you think he go to hide, Luigi?"

"Probably to the most dangerous place." assumed Luigi. "That's where most bad guys usually hide out."

Sora put his arm up heroically and said, "Then to the darkest and most dangerous place here!"

Luigi got nervous, "Um, did I say dangerous? I meant less dangerous?"

Sora narrowed his eyes at Luigi, "Nope. You said dangerous."

"Me and my big mouth." Luigi groaned to himself.

The four slowly made there way down the mountain, slowly jumping onto each ledge. They carefully watched where they were going. Being the cautions one, Luigi took an even slower time then the others. The others finally reached the bottom and noticed a small, bright hole below them. They saw a bright light pouring out of it. The light looked like a vortex to another place. Meanwhile, Luigi was still taking his time getting down. He all of a sudden hit a loose rock and fell down, bonking his head onto other ledges.

He continued bouncing around until he ran into the others, and they all fell into the hole. They were lost in the light, flying through an endless area. The light then dimmed around them, revealing a giant mountain area. The group flew over to a small, round, mountain with spikes around the edge. Above them was a giant ring, also with spike edges. The group noticed a giant, pink energy wave in front of them, its energy flowing up, going through the middle of the ring.

"Luigi, you are a hazard to one's health." Sora stated.

"Hey!" Luigi shouted in offense. "I am not!"

"Boys, boys!" Toadsworth shouted. "Please, no arguing right now! We should figure out where we are."

"What that?" Yoshi asked as he pointed at the energy.

Sora walked over to the energy and observed it. He felt a familiar presence with inside the energy.

"Honestly, I don't know." Sora responded. "But there is something familiar about this energy pattern. I just can't put my finger on it."

"How about you don't put your finger on it?" Luigi suggested. "Let's move on!"

"No, I think we need to go in here." Sora debated. "Something is tell me that this is the right way."

Yoshi nodded in agreement, "Yoshi believe Sora."

"I believe you, Master Sora." Toadsworth agreed.

Luigi complied and smiled, "Aw, okay, we'll go."

Sora slowly walked up to the glowing energy. He looked up at it and took a deep breath. He knew that at any moment they could run right into Ansem. In fact, Sora thought that this was it, the final battle was about to commence. He felt a bit scared, but knew that he had to be brave. He closed his eyes and walked into the light. He kept them closed, but felt his body being pulled by gravity.

Seconds later, he felt his body coming to a complete stop. He heard the sounds of seagulls, chirping all around him. He felt the warm breeze engulf his face, and heard the sounds of the waves. Sora opened his eyes and was shocked on what he saw. They couldn't believe their eyes. How was this possible? They were on Isle Delfino, better yet, Pinna Park. The area they were in was where Sora first met Luigi and Yoshi.

"Isle Delfino?" Toadsworth said baffled. "Why are we back here?"

"Ah, maybe Ansem decided to surrender." Luigi said with relief. "That wasn't so bad."

Sora had a bad feeling. The entire area was quite. The rides weren't even working, nor were the inhabits around. Soon enough, the heartless appeared.

"Heartless!" Yoshi cried.

Sora's group took the heartless head on. The battle didn't last too long as Sora slashed, Luigi smashed, and Yoshi ate their way through the heartless. The heartless they fought were the soldiers and the shield heartless. The battle finally ended as the group defeated the last wave of heartless. The group caught their breath from the battle, and Luigi sighed sadly.

"Why can't something good ever happen to us?" Luigi sighed.

Ignoring Luigi, Toadsworth turned to Sora with a confused look, "Master Sora? How did we end up back here?"

"I don't think we're on Isle Delfino," Sora said. "I think this is an illusion created by Ansem, or maybe a memory of each world we visited."

"Sora sure?" Yoshi asked.

Sora shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not too sure, but we should keep going." Sora then noticed a door has appeared before them. "Maybe this door will lead us somewhere."

"Well, lead on, kid." Luigi said.

The group walked up to the door and Sora opened it. A flash brightened their eye sight for a moment. As the light dimmed, they noticed they were back in the Space Pirate lab. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi were also back in their suits they wore from Planet Zebes.

"Luigi?" Sora began to ask.

"I didn't do it." Luigi said shaking his head.

All of a sudden the heartless attacked again. This time they fought the red, blue, yellow, and green space pirates. Sora quickly took out the green pirates, preventing them from healing their allies. Luigi used firaga to melt away the blue space pirates. Yoshi dodged the attacks of the yellow and red ones. Sora cast stop on all of them, freezing them in place. Upon defeating the heartless, another wave entered with wizard heartless.

The wizards cast powerful thunder spells, preventing the group from attacking. When they stopped, Sora slashed through them as quickly as he could. Yoshi rammed his head into another one, knocking it into Luigi who did Luigi Tornado on it, juggling it into the air. Sora jumped into the air and slashed the heartless through the middle of it. After the battle, another door appeared in front of them.

Upon entering it, the group next arrived at Pokemon Coliseum, arriving outside the entrance. They encountered heartless from Hallow Bastion, such as dragons, shields, flying warriors. The group once again made quick work of the heartless and after that, another door appeared.

"And what's behind door number one?" Sora asked in a cheesy game show voice. The group opened the door and arrived in the Bamboo Forest from Kongo Bongo. Sora then started signing, "Wah-wah-wah."

"Shut up!" Luigi snapped. "That's the last time I let you watch let night game shows."

"Man, just trying to lighten the mood." Sora said upset.

The group ran into power wilds from this world, including female monkeys. The females left giant bananas out which everyone, except for Luigi dodged. They also shot magical balls out of a slingshot they carried. Sora threw his keyblade at them, destroying them. The group took care of the remaining heartless, and moved on. The next arrived at the Hyrule Market place, encountering old "friends" such as Gerudo Thieves and Fire Bandits. Luigi took care of the bandits with his blizzard spell while Sora defeated the thieves with his improved sword skills.

After defeating the heartless, the group took the next door and arrived in Dreamland. The group noticed they were in their cappy disguises again. They were in the main hallway of King Dedede's castle. They fought against star warrior heartless and others. They had a bit of trouble because they haven't been in this form for awhile. Pulling together though, they managed to defeat all of the heartless in the room. The next door lead them to the room where they battled Black Shadow in Mute City.

Again, the group were in their racing uniforms as they arrived. They ran into more heartless such as F-Zero races who tripped them. Sora used stop magic, freezing the heartless in place. They then attacked them before they could revive themselves. More heartless appeared around them and they finished the fight with Trinity Limit, putting their energy into one attack that drained their energy.

The group used elixirs to recover themselves from the loss of energy. Another door appeared and the group entered it.

"This is getting annoying." Luigi groaned.

"We're almost there, Master Luigi." Toadsworth said with influence. "Let us press on!"

The group arrived on the Egg Carrier next, encountering robot heartless, and Egg Mobile heartless. They fired lasers at the group who dodged the attacks. Sora jumped onto two of the Egg Mobile heartless and flew around on them. The two tried to shake Sora off, but he held on tightly. He then kicked both of them off, sending them crashing into the wall. Luigi used F.L.U.D.D on the robots, zapping them away.

Yoshi gave a mighty kick at a few others, knocking them aside as well. He then ate one and digested it, causing the heartless to come out as an egg. Yoshi threw the egg, destroying two of the heartless. Sora gripped the handle of his keyblade with one hand and slashed it at three of the heartless, cutting them into pieces. The group began to grow tired from all the fighting. Sora walked up to the next door that appeared and opened it.

Inside, they arrived on Yoshi's Island. Sora and Yoshi remembered this part of the island. It was the same place where they helped Baby Mario get pasta from the pasta tree. Luigi and Toadsworth looked at the place in amazement. They have never seen anything so beautiful before.

"Where are we?" Toadsworth asked.

"This is Yoshi's home." Sora responded. He then paused, remembering this world was an illusion. "Well, sort of, but this is what it looks like." He looked around to see no heartless in sight. "I think we're safe here."

The group noticed another door appear in front of them. Sora began to walk towards it, but Luigi stopped him.

"Kid, let's take a break for a little bit," Luigi said tiredly. "I'm pooped."

Sora tiredly yawned, knowing he needed a rest as well.

"Okay, we'll take an hour break." Sora announced.

The four sat against a log, resting their backs. They felt their muscles relax from the pain of all the fighting. Sora looked up at the sky, knowing this was the last peaceful moment they would have. The rest of the way would hard and painful for them. The four also got into discussions, recalling past situations they got into. A lot of it was funny. They laughed away at all the good memories. They did that to keep a positive attitude on their goals.

Yoshi rested his head on Sora's chest, causing Sora to smile. He gently stroked the little dinosaur's head, sadly knowing this was the last time they would see each other. An hour passed ever since they arrived. The group stood up and stretched out, ready to take on their next challenge. The group approached the next door and opened it, expecting the worse. The group arrived in a very small hallway which appeared to have the same setting as Hallow Bastion. To their left, they saw a sliding door.

The group headed towards it, but the heartless appeared again. This time it was the heartless with swords. During the battle, Sora called in Ness to use some of his psychic powers, knocking the heartless back. He then used Mr. Game & Watch to knock some back with his sausages. As always, the attacks had barely any effect. Sora then used Marth who sliced a few of them up. Navi offered any advice to Sora who used it well, dodging some of their attacks.

Sora also called Tails in to recover health when needed. Last but no least, Sora called in Kazooie to finish the job with exploding eggs. Sora thanked each summon with all his heart for the hard work they did to help fight off the heartless. The door on the left opened, and the group curiously walked in. The room was in the shape of a rectangle. In the middle of the room, the group saw a strange machine with golden pipes moving up to the ceiling.

"Wow! Now that is one plumbing job that would be a pain in the rear." Luigi commented.

Sora also saw a giant heartless symbol in the middle of it, which was colored blue. Sora also saw a small panel in front of it with words written on it.

"Guys, come look at this," Sora called to his friends. "There's something written here."

The others walked over and noticed the writing on the panel.

"What it say?" Yoshi asked, a bit intrigued. "Can Sora read it? Yoshi not good reader."

"Sure," Sora responded with a nod. "I'll take a look." Sora cleared his throat and read the all of the words."Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness."

Toadsworth put on his reading glasses, "I'll finish the rest, Master Sora." He then cleared his throat. "For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens."

"Kingdom Hearts?" Luigi asked in confusion. "What kind of kingdom is that?"

"That easy," Yoshi said with a small chuckle. "It a kingdom where the hearts live."

Sora tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He knew that the seven hearts were the princesses of hearts, but what did the keyblade have to do with this? He thought that maybe this Kingdom Hearts needed to be sealed. He then realized something.

"Hey, isn't Kingdom Hearts the same door everybody's been talking about?" Sora asked in surprise.

"The door to darkness, tied by two keys." Toadsworth quoted from the panel. "Possibly, and this door could be in this world. Who knows."

"Let's go!" Sora announced. "We'll figure this out later."

The group left the strange room and turned to notice a dark, round portal with a fiery, red color around the edge. Sora's group jumped through the portal and arrived outside at the mountain area again.

"Weren't we just here?"

"Yeah," nodded Luigi. He then moaned. "Don't tell me we have to do this all over again."

"Look!" Yoshi cried.

The group turned to see Yoshi pointing at a giant hole that appeared. A light blue wave surrounded it, slowly moving in a clockwise position. Sora walked over and examined the hole. He had a feeling in his stomach, a feeling which told him to go for it. Sora stepped backwards, getting a good distance from the hole.

"This is our only way, guys." Sora told the others. "When we enter this portal, there will be no turning back."

"As if we had a choice already." Luigi said sarcastically. "Don't make any speeches and just get it over with."

Sora nodded and ran for the portal. He jumped up and dove into it, disappearing before everyone's eyes. Toadsworth got onto Yoshi's back, and the dinosaur jumped into the portal next. Luigi walked over to the portal, sighing with a worried look. He knew that there were about to run into trouble.

"It was nice knowing me." Luigi whispered. He then jumped into the air, plugging his nose and holding his breath. He then flew down into the portal.

The group flew the endless darkness, picking up speed from falling. It seemed like an endless path until the group saw a platform in the shape of an octagon. As they got closer, they could see spike purple outlines all around the platform. There were some chained parts that were seeable. The group noticed a energy ball that looked like the sun in the midst of a solar eclipse. Surrounding it was a bunch of brick-like supports.

The four safely landed on the platform, except for Luigi who landed on his head. Everyone chuckled at Luigi's goofiness and clumsiness. The group looked around at the entire area. In the sky they stars twinkling in the sky, each one as bright as the next one. The group then noticed the stars disappearing and turning into an outlined vortex, with the lines being pulled through the darkness of space.

"This is weird," Sora said, observing the area. "That background just changed settings. Maybe we ended up in a world between space and time." For a moment, Sora thought he was hearing things, a faded manically laugh. "Okay, what's so funny, Toadsworth?"

"That wasn't me, Master Sora." Toadsworth said innocently.

Sora gulped nervously, "That's what I was afraid of." Sora turned to Yoshi and Luigi. "I guess that wasn't you guys either, right?"

The duo nodded, both feeling a little worried. Sora heard strange eerie noises coming from the west side of him. He turned around, he froze, simply left speechless by what he saw. The others noticed this and turned to look at what Sora was. They were also in shock, a giant white glove was floating towards them, laughing all they way.

"A flying a hand?" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Goodness!"

"I guess Ansem needed a 'hand' around here," Luigi joked. "Get it? Hand?"

Everyone else groaned at the joke.

"Dude, you had to pick the worst time to make a joke, especially hand jokes." Sora said in annoyance.

"What?" Luigi responded. "We walked right into that one."

The group saw the giant hand form a fist, appearing to prepare attack. In the back of the glove, the opening where a hand would normally go in created a wave of fire, almost like a rocket taking off. It flew at them, fist and all. The group quickly dodged the attack as it flew passed them. Sora took his keyblade out, knowing they had to fight.

The giant hand flew over the arena, slowly floating onto the arena. Yoshi got Toadsworth to a safe distance so he wouldn't get in harms way. Sora gripped his keyblade and ran forward, with Luigi and Yoshi close behind. The giant hand spun around, changing into appearance of a person walking, pounding the ground with its index and middle finger. The group quickly dove to the side as the hand "walked" by them.

Sora took the chance to jump up and deliver a hard blow, knocking the hand back. It quickly gave a hard slap back, knocking Sora to the other edge of the arena. The giant hand flew up, spreading its fingers out. Luigi and Yoshi gasped upon seeing this. It then slammed at them, crushing them on the surface. The two felt their bodies crushed between them and the giant hand.

Yoshi quickly bit the finger, causing it to bolt back from the pain. The hand flapped around, trying to lessen the pain. Sora used fire which burnt the hand, causing it to fly up. The hand flew like an out of control plane, and then charged at them with a hard fist, knocking them back. The trio held onto the edge of the area.

The giant hand pointed at the group like a gun, the middle and index finger vertically together, and the thumb pointing north.

"I've got a bad feeling." Sora said nervously.

"So do I," gulped Luigi. "I've got to' hand' it to this guy, he's pretty challenging."

Ignoring Luigi, Sora was able to push himself back up. The hand fired two giant bullets at him, quickly and harshly. Sora put his keyblade up and blocked the attack, but the impact knocked him back. The hand quickly whisked Sora into its palm, gripping into it. It began to crush Sora from the inside, the boy feeling his spine being crushed. Yoshi and Luigi quickly ran to help as they heard Sora's cries of pain.

"We coming!" Yoshi called to Sora.

"We'd give you a hand, but you seem to already have one." Luigi joked.

Luigi shot a thunder spell, zapping the hand, making it opening itself. Sora fell out, catching himself at the ground. Sora jumped up and used Ragnarok, delivering rapid blows to the giant hand. Luigi used his fire uppercut while Yoshi gave mighty kicks to the hand. Then, it swatted the group away like flies. It then slowly curved it's fingers, releasing small lasers upon the area. The group quickly avoided the attacks. One almost his Sora's foot, but the boy raised his giant feet, avoiding the attack. Sora quickly slid under the attack, and jumped up with an uppercut to the palm.

The hand spun back from the pain. It started to weakly shake as the trio delivered hard blows upon it. It appeared that the hand was finally beaten, as the group jumped back for one final attack. All of a sudden, the group heard maniacal laughing. This one however, sounded a bit more wild and frantic. The heard the laugh come from the other side.

They saw another hand, wiggling and squirming onto the opposite side of where the right hand was. Sora's group panicked, knowing that one hand was bad enough, but now two?

"Looks like our friend brought out his right hand man." Luigi said. He then noticed the other hand on the left side. "Or left hand man."

Sora noticed the left hand waving to the right hand. The right hand made a fist, ready to attack.

"Get down!" Sora shouted.

The trio quickly ducked as the hand flew past them, punching into the palm of the other hand. The group quickly stood up, seeing the two hands surrounding them.

"Man, they're going to win this thing "hands' down." Luigi said nervously.

Sora was now annoyed at Luigi for his endless hand jokes.

"Luigi," Sora said with a raspy breath. "If...you...say one more hand joke, I swear..."

"Look out!" Yoshi cried, interrupting Sora.

The trio saw the right hand give them a hard smack, knocking them into the left hand who jerked back, and slammed the trio into the ground like dice. The group quickly recovered from the blow, and cured themselves. The trio devised a strategy to win. The group decided that Sora would deal with the new hand, while Luigi and Yoshi took care of the other hand.

Sora leaped forward, keyblade held high, a strong will at his side. Sora gave a thrust at the hand who moved out of the way. Sora tried to swat at it, but the hand proved to be too fast, even for Sora. The hand hovered over the boy, making him look up. The hand's hand glowed with a dark energy, powering up. Sora gasped as he saw giant domino type objects falling on him.

Sora bolted backwards, narrowly escaping the attack. He looked to see the hand was following him still. He walked back as fast as he could, dodging any dominos that tried to hit him. Sora quickly kicked his foot up, hitting one of the dominos, knocking it right back at the hand. An explosion occurred, sending the hand and Sora flying across the area. Sora quickly ran forward as the hand fell onto the ground. Sora rapidly slashed with fierce blows, until the hand wiggled around the arena, knocking Sora off it.

Luigi jumped on the right hand, riding it like a horse. He held on with all his might, trying to gain control. He then made his fist glow green and punched at it. Luigi delivered a blow so hard that the hand felt extraordinary pain in it's wrist. The impact also sent it off of the cliff, sending it down into the endless abyss of darkness. Luigi curiously looked down to see if the hand was gone. But in a blink of an eye, the hand quickly came back up, delivering a punch in the jaw to Luigi.

The man fell back, feeling the pain in his lower jaw. He stood up, holding his jaw, letting it slowly move around to reduce the pain. Yoshi walked to Luigi, looking at him with relief, knowing he was okay.

"Look, the hand gave Luigi the slight of hand." Yoshi joked.

"Hey, only I can tell the jokes," Luigi complained.

The hand fired more bullets at the two who rolled out of the way. Meanwhile, Sora jumped back from another attack, barely missing it. Sora went back to back with his group. They didn't know how much longer they could go on. They then noticed the hands coming close to them, slowly easing their way back and forth. The trio got worried, knowing what was going to happen.

"Guys, I think they want to give us a round of applause for our efforts." Sora gulped nervously.

"And you said I told back jokes." mocked Luigi.

The two hands began to glow with power. They were ready to make one final attack on the trio. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi couldn't even lay a finger on the two giant hands. It seems that they were going to lose. Finally, Sora smirked, knowing there was one chance left.

"If we can't beat them apart, then we can beat them together!" Sora shouted with confidence.

"Wha-?" Luigi asked, slightly confused.

Sora quickly grabbed his comrades hands, closing his eyes, "Quick, focus your energy on each other. We'll give them a taste of their own medicine!"

Luigi and Yoshi both nodded. The three focused their energy on each other. They could feel their life force combined into one giant ball. The hands were ready to attack, when they stopped to see the trio, glowing a white aurora around their bodies. Toadsworth was amazed at this power he saw. A force of gravity seemed to be pulling the two hands in, a force they couldn't escape.

The hands gripped onto the platform, trying to hold on for dear life. The force was simply too strong. The hands lost their grip and flew into the trio. Sora noticed they were coming, smirking with confidence.

"Do it now!"

They screamed at the top of their lungs, releasing their energy. The energy formed into a giant flash of light that brightened the entire area. The two hands screamed in pain, the damage they received was simply humongous. They couldn't even move, every part of their fingers were numb. Finally, the two hands obliterated into a million pieces. The bright light continued to glow, until it slowly faded.

After it faded, area of darkness remained. The platform that was once there was gone. Slowly floating down in the area of darkness was the four heros. Toadsworth was looking around in confusion, while the other three flew weakly down. Sora chuckled weakly, knowing they overcome all odds, but he knew that the war has only begun.

**Story To Be Concluded...**

A/N: For some fans who are wondering, Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix was a special edition released in Japan only. Why? Because in the English release, there were a few bosses added that the Japanese version didn't have. Examples would be Kurt Zia, Ice Titan, and Sephiroth. Final Mix not only brought those guys to Japan, but also added new weapons, new cut scenes, better gummi ship, etc. See you later for the final battle. It will be one long chapter.


	35. The Final Duel in Darkness Part II

**Chapter XXXIV: The Final Duel in Darkness Part II**

They floated through an empty void, lost in the darkness, the silence haunted upon them as they softly flew down. Luigi took the time to heal Sora and Yoshi in the process, who were too exhausted from their duel with the hands. They continued to float gently down, lost in the dark, wondering where they were going to end up. It seemed like hours to them, falling through the bottomless pit like Yoshi's stomach.

"Guys?" Sora asked. "How long have we been falling?"

Luigi looked at his watch, "About ten minutes, Sora. I don't know where we're going to end up. I just hope it's somewhere that causes no pain."

"You'd wish," Sora chuckled. He then looked around, trying to find a way out of the darkness. "But we have to find away out of here. Ansem is waiting for us."

"Look!" Yoshi abruptly pointed.

Sora looked down, noticing a white circular light at the bottom of the darkness. The group could feel their bodies tense up, feeling as though this may lead them to the king of darkness himself. Sora flew head first into the light, the others following close behind, shutting their eyes from the light. They felt the force of gravity, pushing down on them like they were rocks falling off a canyon.

They kept their eyes shut from the brightness as they flew into it. They felt the wind as it brushed lightly against their faces, the force pulling them faster then ever. Slowly opening his eyes, Sora saw the portal of light they were flying in. They looked around and wondered, where are they going? Finally, the portal of light brightened again, causing the foursome to squint. As the light dimmed they noticed a multi-color cave coming into view.

The four quickly put their feet out first, so that they could land safely on the ground. The four finally flew out of the light and into the area. They slowly floated down and landed on the ground. Luigi wiped his forehead with relief, knowing he didn't crash for one. The four looked around the room. It was simply beautiful, a purple cave filled with crystals that stuck out from the sides of the room. The floor underneath was mixed with colors that had a green outline. Sora's group noticed a giant heartless symbol at the other end of the cave.

"That must be the way to the next room." assumed Toadsworth. "Onward, masters!"

The four headed to the heartless symbol when all of a sudden, as if out of nowhere, another Behemoth appeared from the sky, giving a hard pound to the ground. The impact knocked Sora's group over.

"Come on!" Luigi groaned with anger. "Can't we ever take two steps without running into this fatso?"

Behemoth growled from Luigi's insult and powered up it's horn.

"I think you got it mad!" Sora cried, taking his keyblade out.

Toadsworth quickly ran for cover behind a giant stone as the trio braced themselves for the assault. The giant fired a giant laser at them, which the trio dodged. Standing back up, Sora quickly jump up and onto the monster w. Sora slashed horizontally across the beast's horn, delivering the piercing pain. It screamed in pain and whipped it's head around, trying to knock Sora off. The boy quickly grabbed onto the horn tightly as he held on for dear life.

Luigi quickly fired gravity at the horn, weakening the monster's power. Yoshi joined in with a few eggs as well. Sora continue to slash the beast as it jerked its head back and forth, trying to knock the boy off. It finally spun its head enough to knock him off. Sora caught himself as he hit the ground and retaliated towards the monster. It shot more energy balls at the heros who rolled away from the attack.

The trio quickly ran under the monster's legs at full speed. Behemoth stomped at the heros who quickly dodged the attacks. Appearing at the other end, the trio jumped onto the giant's back and charged for the horn. It then fired an electric shock wave, knocking the trio back, feeling the shock from bolts. The trio, using all of their might charged forth and braced themselves for another one. Sora held his keyblade up as he blocked the attacks.

Finally, Sora gave a hard thrust, stabbing it right dead center in the horn. The monster screamed with a loud roar, feeling the extreme sharpness of the keyblade. The battle didn't last too long as the trio knew Behemoth's strategy. So predictable, Sora thought. The trio continued to attack with everything they've got, until the heartless final fell and disappeared from sight.

The trio sighed with relief as they know the battle was over. Or so they thought? Ahead, they noticed a small part of the upper right corner of the heartless symbol flashing. It slowly formed a hole and slid into the hole. A white piece covered up the hole to take its place. Shrugging their shoulders, the trio pressed on to the heartless symbol, unaware that they've only begun this part.

As they walked for the heart, a group of heartless appeared before them. There were tons surrounding the foursome as they formed a circle around Toadsworth, protecting him. Sora gripped his keyblade tightly, feeling the tension rising. They knew this was a final test before Ansem as heartless appeared from all corners of the room.

Sora bravely pointed his keyblade forward and yelled, "Charge!"

Sora slashed his way though the heartless, cutting the pieces of darkness away. One with a sword dashed forward and attacked with a thrust, but the boy jumped over the attack, giving Yoshi the chance to ram his head into its stomach, sending it flying. Luigi shot a fire spell at it, destroying it. Sora slid across the floor on his feet and caught himself with his hands.

Yoshi dove under an attack from an Angel Star's energy ball. Turning onto his back, he fired an egg at it, causing the egg to go splat. The heartless flew around, aimlessly looking for its target. It fired another energy beam which hit one of its fellow heartless in the back. Sora bolted forward and jumped into the air, ready to land his blade on another one. He brought it down with full force, knowing he wasn't going give up.

Sora vertically slashed through the heartless, breaking its sword and itself in half. Sora quickly spun around and got knocked aside by another one. He quickly kicked against the wall and pushed back with all his might. He then rammed the heartless in the stomach, sending it flying back. Luigi threw a smash punch at it, knocking it into the air. Sora threw his keyblade at it, shredding it into dust and particles.

The group gasped as more came at them, charging with full energy. The latter proved to be much more stronger than the first group, but the trio managed as Sora slashed through every single heartless, putting his heart and soul into it. Each fierce blow more powerful than before. Two charged from each side while one flew from above. Sora quickly jumped up doing a split in the air, kicking at the two heartless, and then, bending his back from the third, flipping over and kicking it in the jaw.

Yoshi curled into a ball and made an egg appear around him. The egg then spun at the heartless, knocking them all over the place. The egg slid to one end of the room and bounced back, knocking the heartless over. Luigi used the P3000 to suck some of the heartless in. Luigi then shot them at other heartless, knocking them over.

Sora also called in Ness again to clear the field of any heartless with his psychic powers. The group couldn't believe their eyes as more heartless appeared. The group went into the battle again, delivering every hard blow, feeling the sweat dripping down from their bodies, their hearts pounding which each movement they made. Finally, the trio combined their powers together for the "Trinity Limit" attack. Together, their amazing force of mustard color energy obliterated every single heartless.

As the smoke cleared, the trio panted, too tired to go on. Sora sat down for the moment, his breathing heavy from all the fighting. Toadsworth ran over to the others making sure they were alright.

"Masters," Toadsworth said in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Wow, that was a hoot!" Luigi sighed tiredly. "I don't think my scrawny little body can go on." He then fell over, dramatically clutching his chest with his hand. "You go ahead. Don't worry about me."

Sora chuckled lightly, "Come on, man! We're almost there!" Sora noticed that the heartless symbol has now completely turned white. The outline around it turned a golden color. He knew that this was it, the path to their destiny, their fate, where they may not come back alive. "Grab Luigi and let's move!"

Sora walked to the heartless symbol with the others dragging Luigi along. Sora stepped towards the heartless symbol, scanning it carefully. He didn't notice any doorknobs to even open their way. Curiously, Sora, slowly but surely, tapped his finger on the symbol and was shocked to see his finger pass right through it. It was a fake wall, he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he bravely stepped through the heartless symbol, noticing he was passing right through it. On the other side, he saw a small room with rocks on the ground. He noticed a small pot on the side with a stream of water filling up in it. He felt his mouth become dry, he felt a bit dehydrated from the fighting. Sora bent down and cupped his hands together, gently lifting the water into his hands.

He drank the water thoroughly and quickly. He felt the water clear the dryness, cooling his body down. Sora greedily did it again. He was too thirsty to even think. Soon he heard footsteps and quickly turned around to see the others.

"Master Sora?" asked a confused Sora. "What are you doing?"

"I found some water, guys." Sora explained. "You can have some if you want."

Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth ran over and drank the water. They felt their stomachs fill right to the top as it quenched their thirst. They sighed and stood back up, feeling more energized.

"Where do you think we are?" Sora pondered to himself.

Luigi looked around the room. It was pretty small with the pot and the small stepping stones on the ground. However, Luigi noticed a strange door in the corner of the room. He was baffled by it.

"Hey, look at this!" Luigi called.

The others turned to notice the door standing before them.

"What with funny door?" Yoshi asked Luigi.

"Could lead us to Ansem I bet." Sora said boldly. "Let's check it out."

The foursome walked over to the door. Their minds were filled with riddles as they looked at it. Could this be the gateway to darkness? And if it was, would Ansem be waiting for them? There was only one way to find out. Sora turned back to his group, looking for support. Without saying a word, the others nodded to him, telling him to press on. They had not time to waste, and at this point, there was no turning back.

Luigi was even serious as he too wanted to end this nightmare. Sora gulped as he slowly brought his hand up and moved it towards the door. His anxiety rising with each slow movement he made. All of a sudden, Sora stopped. He thought he lost his mind as he blinked with question. The others looked at their friend, a bit confused.

"Kid, are you alright?" asked a concerned Luigi.

"Can you hear that?" Sora replied. "Listen, there!"

Sora heard a voice inside of his mind, a voice that was somehow familiar to him.

"_Careful." _warned the voice, whispering into Sora's mind_ "This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you, only darkness flows through here. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light." _

"Yeah, I hear it," Luigi said jokingly. "The sound of silence is what I hear."

"I'm serious!" snapped Sora. He then closed his eyes and whispered, "And that voice...it sounded familiar to me. Am I imagining this?"

"Why not take a break for a few minutes?" suggested Yoshi.

"No," Sora rejected. "I'm fine."

"Then press on, Master Sora." Toadsworth said.

Sora gently gripped the handles of the door, his shoulders tensed tightly as he slowly pulled the doors open. As the door opened, a bright light appeared on the inside of it. It consumed them, blinding them for an instance. The brightness continued to flow through them as they felt their bodies being pulled into another dimension. Finally, the lights dimmed and the group was able to their new surroundings.

Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth saw a small, beautiful, island, the palm trees surrounding it, a small wooden house like area in the corner of the area. They were on the beach part of the island, their feet in the warm sand, the gentle breeze rushing into their faces. The three figured that this was possibly another world they've encountered, but there was one problem, they've never seen this world in their life.

"Hm, this is a nice island." Luigi complimented. "Nice, small, and peaceful. But, I've never seen it in my life."

"This is most strange," Toadsworth thought out loud. "The places we visited in this world were memories of the other worlds we've encountered. Yet, I've never been here in my life."

"Yoshi haven't either." Yoshi nodded in agreement.

"Then if you never been here, and if Toadsworth has never been here, and I've never been here, then that means..."

Everyone turned to Sora, who's face was frozen from seeing the island. He knew the truth, this was his childhood home, he couldn't believe it. His heart pounded rapidly from the excitement of seeing his island again.

"Is this...Is this my island?" Sora startled.

"Your island?" Luigi exclaimed.

"This your home," assumed Yoshi. "Isn't it?"

Sora nodded to Yoshi. He looked up, everything felt very real to him, but at the same time, all was not well. He felt a tingle type of feeling that slowly crept up his spine, moving towards his brain.

"This looks exactly like my island." Sora stated. "But, this isn't my island at all."

"Why not?" Yoshi asked, slightly tilting his head.

"Think about it, Yoshi," Toadsworth said. "If this was Master Sora's island, we wouldn't be here with him, now would we?"

"Great," Luigi grumbled. "And I didn't want to fight anyone."

Sora felt a bit disappointed by this, knowing this was not his island. He then felt a strange source of power, a feeling that was telling him to go to the secret place by the waterfall. Without even thinking, Sora slowly, but surely walked towards the secret place. Sora's concerned friends wondered why he was doing so without even giving them any notice.

"Master Sora?" Toadsworth asked in concern. "What are you-?"

Still facing the other way, Sora called to his friends, "I feel strange...like, something is telling me to head over to the secret place."

"You told us about that place once," Luigi said. "Are you sure about this?"

Sora nodded and walked on. Shrugging their shoulders, the others followed. Sora walked up the board on the side of the area that moved up and slowly walked up it. He then started to run, he felt more desperate to make it to the secret place. He didn't even know why he was feeling this way. The others were astonished as they looked at their surroundings. They noticed that the trees, the ladders, the wood shop was disappearing from them.

As Luigi stepped onto the wooden platform, it disappeared which caused the man to fall into the sand. Standing back up, he shook his head, getting rid of the sand in his face, spitting out the crusty substance from his mouth. The others finally arrived at the small cave, the gateway to the secret area. They all stopped suddenly, they felt the earth begin to shake below their feet. Luigi began to panic.

"Holy macaroni!" exclaimed Luigi. "It's an earthquake!"

Sora quickly spun his body around, knowing more elements of the island was disappearing from his sight. They then heard a familiar voice.

"This world has been connected." called a deep voice.

Yoshi hugged Sora's leg, frightened by the voice.

"Ooh, what that?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Ansem?" Sora whispered perplexed.

"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed." the voice continued. The group noticed the beautiful blue ocean turning into an eerie, dark, purple ocean. The world began to vibrate faster then ever. "There is so very much to learn, and yet, you understand so little."

Sora realized something to his horror, _"That voice! That speech! It belonged to that hooded man from my island! That was Ansem!" _

"It's a meaningless effort, for one who knows nothing can understand nothing." the voice finished.

The group could see the island change rapidly before their very eyes. The ground began to split all over towards the edge of the water, dark spiky trees appeared around the sides of the island. Sora now knew, without a doubt, that this was a mere memory of his island. Sora felt his jaw drop as he looked out to the edge of the island. He saw Riku, standing there, looking at the shore of the water. He was wearing the dark suit he wore from Hallow Bastion.

"Riku!" Sora cried. "Hang on, man!" He then ran towards his friend

Luigi tried to stop Sora, "Wait! It could be a trap!" It was too late, Sora was gone. Luigi rolled his eyes. "That kid." He then turned towards Yoshi. "Let's go catch up with him!" Yoshi ran to catch up with Sora while Luigi turned to Toadsworth. "Toadsworth, I think things are about to get ugly. Could you stay here?"

"I will comply, Master Luigi." Toadsworth nodded. "Do be careful though."

Luigi nodded to Toadsworth, giving him assurance. He then left to catch up with the others as they ran to Riku. Sora didn't care about anything at the moment, except to speak with Riku again. He got closer and closer, his excitement building. He couldn't even hear Luigi and Yoshi calling to him. The trio then heard Ansem's voice again, stopping them dead in their tracks.

"Take a moment," Ansem said softly. "Look at this tiny place. A luscious island nestled between night and day. Its magnificence brings the children to it. It seems peaceful, but in reality this island is nothing more then a prison on water, to the hearts that seek freedom from it."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, dumfounded by Ansem's words.

"There are those foolish enough to believe they can cross between worlds, find a new meaning to justify their existence." continued the king of darkness. He then put his arms into the air, lightly scoffing. "Then there was this boy, a foolish boy who sought out to escape from the confinements of his prison. He sought a way to crossover into other worlds, but in the end he opened his heart to darkness."

Riku slowly turned towards the trio, a dark wave engulfing his body. They gasped as Riku slowly disappeared, his image being replaced by Ansem as he slowly turned his way towards the trio.

"Riku, come back!" Sora cried.

"It's pointless," Ansem lightly laughed, grinning evilly. "Don't even waste your breath. His voice can no longer be heard where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness."

"No, it can't be." Sora spurned.

Ansem cocked an evil grin, looking at Sora who still refused to believe his friend was lost in the darkness.

"Silly boy," he laughed. "You remain in denial. A childhood fantasy of believing in anything you want. You can't comprehend the truth. Darkness is all around us. Our mere existence begins in darkness, as does the worlds that twinkle in the blackness of space. And for every beginning there is an end, thus concluding that all worlds shall end the darkness." The trio looked at Ansem, his words truly frightening to them. "The heart itself is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such as its nature." The trio could feel time has stopped, that something was making them still see him, but his voice came from another direction. "In the end result, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came!"

The trio turned around to get startled by Ansem who was levitating in midair. His face showing a frightening sign of evil and darkness. Yoshi became too scared and jumped into Sora's arms, hugging him tightly, whimpering with fear.

"Oh, Sora, make the bad man go away!" Yoshi cried.

"Do not worry, young one." Ansem said softly to Yoshi. "Soon you too will be absorbed by the darkness. You cannot escape it because darkness is the heart's true essences." He then shook his hand down at them with spastic movement as he finished saying this.

"_Is shaking your hand like that suppose to make you look cool or something?" _Luigi thought with a raised eyebrow.

"Stop it!" Sora snapped at Ansem. "You're wrong!"

Ansem looked at Sora, shocked at what he just said. He was a great researcher, he knew no limits. He couldn't believe a boy was questioning his research, research that took an entire lifetime to pursue.

"You dare challenge my knowledge!" snarled Ansem. "I know everything! I know that there is darkness. The heart is nothing more then a weak organ. The darkness can overcome it."

Sora put his head down, "I'll admit, the heart can be weak and sometimes it may give in," He then looked up at Ansem, determination in his blue eyes, confidence spreading through his heart. "But I've learned, through the experience of my journey, that deep down there is a light that never goes out!"

Ansem was stunned by Sora's words. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. A boy was challenging his knowledge, his research, his studies. He wasn't going to let Sora get the best of him anymore. He knew that it had to be done now. Slowly, he flew up even more.

He smirked lightly at the boy, "Impressive. You've come so far and you still understand nothing. So, it is time to show you what real power is. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"

A dark wave appeared behind him, displaying a giant creature with two horns and no legs. The group got shocked upon seeing this.

"We're in trouble." Luigi gulped.

Sora took his keyblade out, ready for one more battle.

"We can beat him!" Sora assured bravely. "We just need to pull through!"

"You think you can defeat me and my guardian, keyblade master?" Ansem laughed "Think again! Prepare for battle!"

Putting his hand out at his side, Ansem magically made Riku's weapon of choice, the Souleater appear in his hand. Sora's group stood ready, staying focused on the king of darkness. The wind blew lightly through the island, the trio standing ready for the final duel. Ansem held his sword with one hand, and flew at our heros.

Sora put his keyblade up as the man brought his sword down on him. Electricity flew out from the impact with a big clang. The battle has begun. Sora quickly side stepped to the left, gripping the keyblade in his left hand. Sora kicked forward, charging at Ansem. Sora gave a hard thrust, but Ansem effortlessly dodged the attack. Ansem kicked Sora in the jaw, knocking him into the air. The dark guardian from behind quickly grabbed his leg and harshly threw him into the ground.

Luigi shot a fire spell at Ansem while Yoshi shot eggs at him. Ansem smirked with confidence, noticing their pitiful attempts.

"How foolish." he muttered under his breath. "Guardian come forth!"

The guardian from behind quickly appeared in front of Ansem, taking the hits. However, it seemed to have no effect on the monster. The duo gasped in horror as the monster charged at them, smacking them aside with its giant hand. Sora quickly recovered from his attack and clashed with Ansem. Sora put all his weight into the attack as he pushed him back. Ansem, unfazed by the boy's efforts, quickly slid the sword under the keyblade, knocking it out of his hand.

Ansem slashed at Sora again, knocking him into the ground. Ansem flew at Sora with full force, pointing his sword downward at the hero. Sora looked up to see Ansem bringing it down on him. He quickly spun to the side, retaliating with a kick to the hip, knocking Ansem aside. Sora stood back up and grabbed his keyblade. The trio ran at Ansem again, who called his guardian to shoot dark energy disks at them.

One of the disks missed Sora by an inch, tearing a piece of his shirt off. Luigi quickly ducked under another one, and Yoshi avoided one. Yoshi stuck his tongue out to try and eat one, but Sora quickly grabbed him, jumping out of the way.

"Yoshi!" Sora shouted with warning. "Don't try to eat those! They're too sharp!"

Yoshi nodded, understanding Sora's terms. Luigi cast Aeroga on the three of them, which deflected the attacks away. One which hit Ansem in the chest. He cried out in pain from the sharpness of his own attack. The trio quickly flew to attack now that Ansem was stunned, but as they approached him the guardian clenched its fist, forming a dark energy wave. It then threw a punch at them, knocking them back into the sand.

Sora quickly kicked his feet into the air, pushing himself to stand up. Ansem flew towards the group again, ready to strike them down. Ansem vertically slashed at Sora who did a back flip over the attack. As he hit the ground, he bolted forward and clashed with Ansem again. The two struggled with the blow. Sweat dripped down Sora's face as he pushed against Ansem.

Luigi and Yoshi quickly jumped over Sora and delivered a hard kick to Ansem's chest, sending the man crashing into the ground. Ansem stood up, a bit annoyed, but still not too worried about losing. Toadsworth watched, giving the trio his full support. Yoshi threw an egg at Ansem which he sliced in half with his sword. Luigi shot a gravity spell, but the guardian came to Ansem's defense, blocking the attack.

Luigi and Yoshi continued to fire magic and eggs at the evil king. The guardian continued to take the duo's hits, but sill remained unfazed by their attacks. Ansem simply laughed at their foolishness, expecting them to pray that they would actually hit him at this angle. He then noticed something, there was only two. Where did Sora go? Ansem then felt something lightly tap his shoulder. Turning around, Ansem saw Sora, standing there with a cocky smile.

"Surprise!" Sora shouted.

Sora slashed Ansem in the back with a harsh blow, knocking him into the guardian, who flew into the sand. Ansem quickly flew back up, firing more disks at the trio. Sora moved around, evasively dodging the attacks. Luigi quickly rolled behind Ansem, firing another fire spell at Ansem which hit in the back. He felt the burning inferno hitting his back, he screamed from the damage.

Ansem growled angrily, he couldn't let them win. He angrily charged at Luigi who gulped nervously. Holding his sword out, he slashed at Luigi who jumped over the attack. Luigi powered up a fire punch, but the guardian grabbed him and threw him into Sora. Yoshi rammed his head into Ansem who grabbed his neck. Yoshi giggled nervously as he came face to face with the seeker of darkness.

"Um, hello.." gulped Yoshi.

"Good-bye." Ansem smirked as he dropped Yoshi.

Ansem quickly spun his body around and gave a hard horizontal slash to Yoshi, knocking him into the waterfall. Toadsworth quickly ran to Yoshi's aid, but turned to see Ansem flying towards them. Even though he was old, he would still protect Yoshi. Ansem stopped in midair, looking at the two.

"Time to show them what real power is!" Ansem said. He then flew over to the group at an incredible speed. "Guardian...SUBMIT!"

The heartless was about to strike them with a hard blow, when Sora nimbly jumped in front of them, taking the hit. Sora flew back into the waterfall, hitting the ground. Sora stood up, wiping his face off. He charged at Ansem again, but gasped as the guardian appeared before him, punching him aside. Sora stood back up, confused about what happened.

"What did you do?" Sora asked.

"My guardian has clutched onto to you and he doesn't intend to leave." Ansem explained. "Surrender now!"

"No way!" Sora shouted.

Sora tried to attack again, but he felt his body being restrained. He looked to see the guardian giving him a giant bear hug, holding him back from moving. Sora tried to release the grip, but it was far too strong.

"Now," Ansem began. "Open your heart!"

Sora gasped as Ansem created a giant energy ball around him. He flew slowly into Sora, ready to attack with it. Sora tried to escape from getting hit by the attack, but it was no use. Sora closed his eyes, not wanting to see the end result of the attack. All of a sudden, Yoshi and Luigi quickly rammed their heads into the guardian, knocking it into the blast.

The heartless screamed in pain as it took the blow instead of Sora. Ansem stopped his attack and called his guardian back. Sora jumped into the air and brought the keyblade down on Ansem, who blocked with his sword. This time Sora pushed down on the sword, making Ansem push harder. Ansem realized that together, Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi were an incredible force of their own. Apart however would weaken their link.

Sora quickly slid the keyblade out of the sword, bringing it over his shoulder and delivered a hard blow to Ansem. The man went flying into Luigi who charged up his fist for another attack. He then gave a hard punch, sending Ansem flying into the giant trees to the left side of the island. The four regrouped after the attack.

"Is everyone alright?" Sora gasped weakly.

"We fine." Yoshi nodded.

Sora sat down for a moment to catch his breath. He felt a bit tired from his first scuffle against Ansem. Already he proved to be a foe even stronger then Sephiroth was. He feared that their battle has only begun. The four then heard a rumbling sound, feeling another earthquake coming on.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried. "When will it end?"

The others stumbled back as the trees split in two, revealing a dark purple area that pointed upward. They then heard Ansem manically laughing at them. Yoshi jumped into Luigi's arms in fear.

"You fools actually believed you won?" he bellowed. "That was merely a warm up."

"He was just warming up?" Luigi screamed in shock. "I'm out of here!"

Luigi quickly ran for the edge of the island, but stopped at the edge, realizing there was no way out.

"Luigi!" Sora snapped. "This isn't the time to be a chicken!"

Luigi began to cluck at the group, displaying his cowardly ways. Ansem roared at Luigi with a laugh, causing the plumber to fall down.

"You humor me," Ansem laughed. "However, it is time you feel the full extent of my power."

"Where are you?" Toadsworth demanded to know.

"See that new area that formed?" Ansem said. The others noticed it. "That is where I await your arrival. Hurry, so that this battle of ours may continue to be a great one. Unless of course you don't want to save your friend."

Sora now had fire in his eyes. He was more determined then ever to beat Ansem, so that he could save Riku.

"Come on!" Sora announced. "We're far from done!"

The group ran over to the new area where they knew that Ansem was awaiting their arrival. They had to hurry, wasting no time at all. Luigi, of course used cure spells to revive everyone from the first assault of Ansem. The group finally made it to the area. Sora saw a small area split opened for them. Sora ran for it and leaped in, falling off a small area. He was able to land on the ground safely. He turned back to see Luigi and Yoshi approaching the entrance, but was shocked to see an invisible barrier knocking them back.

"Whoa!" they both cried.

Luigi and Yoshi rolled down the hill from the impact and fell into the sand. They stood back up, brushing the sand off them. Yoshi had some in his mouth, but turned the wrong way and spat it into Luigi's face.

"Hey!" Luigi cried.

"Sorry, Luigi." Yoshi giggled sheepishly.

The duo returned to where the entrance was and tried to enter it again, but found out that they couldn't break through the wall. Sora was trapped like a rat.

"We can't budge it!" Luigi said dismayed.

"Sora!" Yoshi called to his friend. "Sora stuck!"

"We must find someway to help Master Sora," Toadsworth said. "He can't tackle that madman alone."

Sora was left speechless by this turn of events. He knew that this was another trap planned. He stood with total awareness and alert, watching every corner of the arena for his opponent. Sora could feel the ground starting to shake yet again. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth felt it too. They all of a sudden saw a giant creature of darkness rise above them, their mouths dropping in awestruck from seeing a giant creature of darkness. This creature was Darkside, the creature that Sora encountered from his dream and his island.

The creature looked down at Sora who was still looking around the area. The Darkside lifted it's hand into the air, ready to bring it down on the plucky keyblade master.

"Look out!" Yoshi cried.

Sora quickly turned around, only to see a giant hand smack him aside. He hit the wall, groaning upon impact. He looked up to see Darkside looking at him.

"You again?" Sora moaned. "Hasn't your butt been kicked enough times already?" The creature growled at him. "I'll take that at as a no."

The creature brought it's hand into the air again, gripping it tightly. Sora quickly sidestepped the fist from the creature as it slammed it into the ground. Sora noticed it was reaching for something underneath the surface. He took this chance to attack the creatures head, not holding back anything from it. Sora attacks were fierce, delivering each blow right on the spot. The creature final pulled a dark energy out from underground, holding both hands tightly.

Sora continued to attack the hand, remembering the previous duels he's faced against the heartless. The creature finally released the energy from its hand, shooting dark red balls at Sora. He quickly rolled out of the way, jumping over some of the attacks. He even blocked one with the keyblade and threw it into another one, which caused an explosion upon impact. The heartless pounded his fists into the ground again, making another dark wave appear around it. Sora charged at it and slashed it, causing darkness from the hand to shred out of it.

"Go for it!" Luigi cheered. "You can do it, kid!"

Sora smirked as he landed the blows, "Man, this guy is so predictable!"

The shadows emerged from the ground, trying to tackle Sora, but he shooed them off of him. Sora continued to slash his way through the hand. He quickly jumped up on the arm, running at full speed and quickly, but surely, he brought the keyblade down on the face, delivering a vertically slash across the face. The heartless grabbed Sora with its giant hand and slammed him into the ground, bouncing him into the air. Sora kicked against the wall, pushing hit feet against the wall with all his weight. Pushing back, he flew at the creature, keyblade held high in both hands.

The heartless bent its back over, causing a dark glow to appear on its chest. It fired dark energy waves at the boy who blocked each attack. Sora then used Strike Raid on the beast, throwing the keyblade directly at the face. The creature shouted in pain from the heavy blows. Sora obviously had the battle won, his opponent wasn't challenging enough. Sora jumped on the heartless' arms and jumped up and over the heartless. He then brought one final vertical slash down, slicing directly through the creatures' body.

It felt every minute of the sharpness of the keyblade, screaming pain from the intensity of the blow. Sora landed on the ground, his body bent over, using one hand to hold the ground while the other held the keyblade out, his head lowered. The creature then split in half as a result. It then fell on each side of the room with a big boom. Sora stood up, rubbing his nose and grinning with pride. The others cheered over his victory.

"That's how it's done!" Luigi cheered. "Awesome job Sora!"

Sora turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up, giving off his famous goofy smile. Sora then heard the wind rustle behind him. It felt very familiar to him, but when he heard the voice he knew who it was.

"I guess that Darkside's wasn't a good enough challenge for the mighty keyblade master to tackle." called a voice. Sora turned around to see Ansem floating down to him.

"Ansem!" Sora exclaimed.

"Your power is truly spectacular," Ansem said with an evil twinkle in his eye. "However, that power comes nowhere close to the darkness." Sora was about to say something when he was cut off. "You're wondering why I've trapped you here, aren't you? Your pathetic friends are pain in my side. They would simply get in the way of global conquest."

Sora lightly chuckled, "You're just afraid to face us because you know we would beat you. You're nothing more then a lowlife coward, and would do anything to get what you want." Sora then got into a ready position, keyblade in hand. Ansem was a bit annoyed by the boy's words.

"_No one calls me a coward and lives!" _Ansem growled in his thoughts. He then took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Of course it doesn't matter because you haven't seen the full extent of my power."

Sora smirked, "Don't think I've given you my all either."

Ansem lightly chuckled as he made the guardian appear before Sora's eyes again. Ansem took out not one, but two Souleaters. Sora was astonished by this as he's never faced someone with two before. Ansem spun his swords around, each swords missing each other. He then spun them together, clashing them which sparked electricity out from the force.

The audience looked on as their friend had to face Ansem in a one-on-two duel. The guardian at Ansem's side, the battle was about to get intense. Sora stared at Ansem, displaying his bitter hatred for the former ruler of Hallow Bastion. He had to end it here, he wasn't going let this madman win. Sora charged at Ansem, screaming all the way.

Sora jumped into the air and brought his keyblade down on the villain, who blocked the attack with both swords of darkness. He then pushed Sora back into the air, and commanded the guardian to attack with a hard punch to the chest, knocking Sora into a wall. Ansem flew at Sora, both swords held high. Sora looked up to see Ansem charging at him. He quickly charged at Ansem, holding the handle of the keyblade with both hands.

Ansem clashed both swords with Sora's lone keyblade, struggling against each other. Sora leaped back and attacked again, striking the right sword. Ansem a hard thrust with left sword, but they key wielder ducked under the attack. Ansem spun his swords around at Sora, who clashed at a fast pace with both sword, clanging sounds being made upon impact.

Sora did his best to block the attacks with his one keyblade, but Ansem was too quick and rammed his head into Sora who quickly slid back. Rubbing his head, Sora quickly looked up only to see Ansem gone. He looked around the area, quickly, leaving no stone unturned. He then turned to his right to see Ansem charging at him with a dark blue shield on.

"Take this!" he hissed.

The energy hit Sora, sending him crashing into another wall, leaving a big hole as a result of the attack. The others looked on in horror as Sora was losing. Ansem flew down, hands crossed, an evil smirk across his face. He expected the battle to be over when Sora weakly stood up, brushing the dirt off his shirt. Sora ran at Ansem again, the man awaiting his next move. Sora tried to use fire spells, but the guardian simply blocked the attack. Sora ran at Ansem again, keyblade ready to strike.

Ansem charged again and slashed at Sora, who jumped over the attack, returning with a kick, which Ansem was able to dodge by moving his head back. Sora landed on the ground and gave a hard thrust, which Ansem blocked with one sword. He slashed the boy in the back with the other one, knocking him down, sliding across the floor. Sora felt his bruises and cuts from the damage he received so badly.

Sora quickly got to his feet, only to get smacked aside by the guardian again. Sora slid back and jumped forward, ready to give it another try. He wasn't planning on giving up so soon, though his odds of winning was pretty slim at this point. How we wished Luigi and Yoshi could help him. He knew in his heart that he couldn't give up now. All of those worlds were depending on him to win. Sora slashed at Ansem again who ducked under the attack, countering with an uppercut clash. Sora went spinning into the air again as Ansem charged at him with the shield up. Sora quickly put the keyblade up, stopping the attack.

Ansem was surprised by this unexpected move. Sora quickly hammered Ansem with a hard slash, sending him crashing into the ground. A giant hole was a result of impact and four cracks appeared on the sides of the circle, slowly moving outward. The others cheered as Sora final landed a blow. Sora landed on both feet and hands, bending his body like a frog. Standing up, he looked to see where Ansem was.

The floor then began to rumble right under his feet. Bright purple lights surrounded him, more cracks began to form in the ground. Finally, an explosion occurred, giant stones floated into the air. Sora looked up to see Ansem on one of them.

"You haven't won yet, boy!" Ansem shouted.

Sora jumped onto one of the giant stones and jumped up to where Ansem was. Sora brought the keyblade down, but Ansem flew off the stone and jumped onto another one. He then charged back and kicked at Sora who ducked under the attack. Sora clashed with one sword and then the other. The two jumped off and landed on two stones that were moving vertically up. Sora landed on his right-side-up, while Ansem landed on his upside down.

The two spun around, clashing back and forth, the sounds of their swords hitting each other was loud and harsh. Everyone else looked on at a truly fantastic battle. Sora quickly sidestepped another attack, which cut the stone in half. Sora gave a hard thrust back at Ansem, who blocked the attack. Finally, Ansem knocked the keyblade out of Sora's hand, giving the villain the chance to attack with his sword. He slashed hard at Sora, knocking him into the ground. Sora looked to his side, noticing his keyblade right near by.

Ansem charged at Sora again, who quickly spun to the left, grabbing the keyblade in the process. He clashed with Ansem again, who started to get annoyed.

"It amazes me," said Ansem, straining against Sora. "How can you still be fighting?"

Sora struggled to find the answer, but he felt like he was losing confidence. He couldn't win as the man had him pinned down to the ground. He then remembered what Kairi told him

"_Don't forget," _she whispered in his head. _"Wherever you go, I'm always with you." _

Sora's keyblade changed into the Oathkeeper right before his eyesHe could feel her right by his side, a feeling telling him he had all the power to win.

"Because..." Sora stuttered, pushing back. Ansem's eyes widened upon seeing this. "My...friends...will...always...be in my HEART!"

Sora fully pushed back the swords, knocking Ansem back. Sora angrily gave a horizontal slash at Ansem who called his guardian to block the attack, but was left in shock as Sora slashed the heartless in two, destroying it. Ansem gasped in fear, slowly walking back from the keyblade master. Where did he get this power from?

"That's impossible!" Ansem exclaimed, totally shocked to the core. "How did you destroy my guardian? This cannot be!"

Sora weakly stood up, panting heavily. Finally things seemed to be looking good for him. With Ansem left in shock for the moment, Sora used Ragnarok on Ansem, giving an uppercut, right jab, let jab, vertical slash, and finished with a horizontal spin. Ansem went flying into the air as Sora pointed the keyblade at Ansem, charging up an energy attack in the keyblade. When it reached full power, he released it upon Ansem, blasting him with ten red balls of energy. Ansem screamed in pain from every single one.

Sora then rapidly slashed at Ansem, giving hard blows, not giving him a chance to counter. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth jumped for joy as Sora finally had the advantage in the battle. Ansem couldn't understand how Sora managed to turn this battle around. He knew that playtime was over. Sora kicked Ansem in the chest, knocking him into the air. Sora quickly jumped passed and hammered him into the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, a giant explosion of a bright light consumed the entire area.

Everyone screamed as the blinding light hit them, consuming them into it. Everyone shut their eyes from the brightness.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried. "You'd think I would have gone blind from all this light flashing in my eyes!"

Sora shielded his eyes from the blindness. He put his arms up, only to see even more darkness in his vision. Sora kept his eyes closed for a few minutes wondering if it would stop. Slowly, he took his arms away from his eyes and looked around. He noticed he was in endless abyss of darkness. He looked around, darkness all around him. Sora wondered what Ansem was now planning or was hoping that the nightmare had ended.

Looking to his left, Sora saw Luigi and Yoshi flying up to him. Sora flew over to his friends with relief. Yoshi and Luigi were also relieved to see their friend.

"Sora!" Yoshi cried happily. "Is Sora okay?"

"I'm fine now," Sora responded with a smile. "I'm just glad you two stuck by my side."

"Hey, all for one and one for all." Luigi smiled. "We needed to stick together like great trios should. Like the three musketeers, the tree amigos, the Marx brothers..."

"The Marx brothers?"

"Never mind," Luigi sighed. He then looked around the area, noticing not all heads were accounted for. "Have you guys seen Toadsworth?" Yoshi and Sora shook their heads. Luigi began to panic. "I have a bad feeling."

The trio then looked around the dark area, trying to search for their friend, but saw sign of him.

"You know..." Sora began. "We should probably figure out where we are first."

The trio then heard Ansem laughing manically. Yoshi ran into Luigi's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Great," Luigi groaned. "I just had to hear that creepy voice of his again."

"Ansem!" Sora shouted. "Where are you? Better yet, where are we?"

"Behold, you stand before the endless abyss of darkness," Ansem's voice announced. "Within this world of darkness lies the heart of all worlds..." The trio turned to see one thing standing out in the darkness. A giant white door, which at the moment they couldn't get see in detail because it was too far away from them. "Kingdom Hearts!"

"Kingdom Hearts?" Sora whispered. "The day you will open the door is both near and far away."

"What?" Luigi asked a bit puzzled by Sora's words.

"Um...it's nothing.." Sora said shaking his head.

"Look at the realm of the sacred heart," Ansem continued. "You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light from it. From those dark depths are all hearts born." What he said next was directly towards Sora. "Even yours."

Sora tried to find where exactly Ansem's voice was coming from. He then looked down, gasping in shock upon what he saw. Luigi and Yoshi felt their mouths drop at what they saw as well. Standing before them was a giant vessel of some sort. It made the trio look like ants from where they were standing. At the front of it was a giant head with sharp teeth and sinister yellow eyes. Above them was a circular area, that looked like branches around it.

Around were yellow spikes that stuck out of it. Above it, Sora saw Ansem without a shirt on, wearing dark pants. Even further up was the guardian monster except it was huge now, it had a yellow ring around its back, and two blue energy balls on the shoulder. They felt their hearts pounding from the fear of this giant ship of. It was inexpressible to explain the fear they felt.

"DARKNESS CONQUERS ALL WORLDS!" Ansem shouted.

Ansem stuck his hand out at the trio, creating a dark wave around them. The wave then formed into a hand which grabbed Luigi and Yoshi. Sora tried to rescue them, but the hand smacked him aside, making him fall to his doom. Sora tried to use the power of flight to recover, but he couldn't it. Luigi and Yoshi screamed as they were pulled by a force of darkness. They tried to push against it, but it was no use. A multicolored portal appeared before them, pulling them into it.

"Help!" Yoshi cried.

"I'm too young to be absorbed by the darkness!" Luigi bellowed.

The duo disappeared into the vortex of darkness. Sora fell to his doom in the world of darkness. His body felt numb, he couldn't move at all. He tried with all his might, but was unsuccessful. Sora knew that this was it. Ansem proved to be powerful, even without fighting. Sora felt depression fall on his heart, the force he was dealing with was too strong.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered sadly. "He's too powerful..." A tear gently streamed down his eye. "Luigi...Yoshi...Riku...I couldn't save you."

Sora fell deep into the darkness, hearing Ansem laughing with success. His self doubt clouded his judgement. He was about to let the darkness absorb him when he heard a voice call out to him.

"_So, giving up already you lazy bum?" _laughed Riku inside Sora's mind.

Sora opened his eyes in surprise.

"_Riku?" _Sora thought in shock.

"_Come on, Sora," _Riku continued. _"You're way stronger then that! Don't let this guy push you around!" _

Sora realized that failure was not an option. He knew that he shouldn't easily give up because of Ansem's advantage, in fact he now felt up to the challenge. He knew if he was going to die, it was at least because he tried. Finding the strength within, Sora was able to push himself out of the darkness, back into the sky. Sora flew as fast as he could, pushing every inch of energy into himself. Finally, he arrived back at World's Chaos, seeing the giant vessel appear before him.

"This is it," he muttered lightly. "No turning back."

Ansem looked on in triumph, so sure his victory against Sora was successful. He gasped in surprise as he saw the youth fly up to his level. The evil king gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Grr..." he growled. "Such persistence!"

Holding the keyblade with both hands, he stood ready. This was the final battle and it was going to be easy. Everyone was depending on him to bring this nightmare down, a nightmare that would haunt the lives of all living things unless he could stop it.

"Ansem!" Sora shouted. "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" He then smacked his mouth shut, realizing what he said. _"Note to self: never let Kairi force you into watching Sailor Moon again." _Clearing his throat, he bravely flew forward a little. "I mean...Ansem, I'm going to finish you, in the names of all the hearts you took!"

Ansem laughed, "Really? I dare you to do so!"

Sora didn't say anymore as he held the keyblade tightly, his muscles aching from the previous scuffle he got into. However, the pain didn't stop him. He looked on with a stare of determination in his eyes, the sweat pouring down his face. Sora flew at Ansem, keyblade held in hand, screaming with all his might. Ansem drew a giant staff that had the two Souleaters attached to each end.

Sora brought his keyblade down on Ansem who blocked it with the staff. The two struggled against each other, pushing back and forth with each other. Sora noticed that Ansem was a lot taller then before, but that wasn't stopping the key bearer. Ansem pushed Sora back with all his weight, knocking him away. Sora quickly recovered from the attack and charged at Ansem again. The villain spun his staff around like a fan, trying to knock Sora back.

The boy held on with all his might, pushing against the strong breeze. Sora managed to make it all the way over and deliver a hard slash to the chest, knocking Ansem back. Sora realized that a bunch of wires were plugged into his back, preventing him from moving freely. Sora slightly grinned, knowing he had an advantage, only to realize that Ansem's attacks were much faster as he gave an uppercut to Sora that was faster then Sephiroth's attacks.

"Whoa!" Sora cried.

"Foolish, boy," laughed Ansem. "Do you really think you have a chance? Even when I can't move freely?"

Sora gained control from the spinning and flew at Ansem again. The man spun his staff around, trying to hit Sora who quickly moved his body back. Ansem brought the staff down on Sora who brought his keyblade up, blocking the attack. Ansem righted jabbed, but Sora moved his hip to one side. He gave a hard thrust at the boy's chest who ducked under it. Quickly, Sora grabbed the blade and pulled Ansem into him.

The man simply laughed and threw Sora into the air, who quickly flew back down, countering with a kick to the chest. Ansem slashed at Sora who moved his head left, a small piece of his brown hair taking the hit, falling into the blackness of the abyss. Sora spun forward, clashing with Ansem again. The two fighters gave a hard clang from the impact. They pushed back and forth, both giving it their all. Ansem was no longer playing around, Sora was simply magnificent. Sora and Ansem got into a huge blade fight, clashing and dodging their attacks. Ansem gave a thrust, Sora dodged. Sora vertically slashed, Ansem sidestepped. The seeker of darkness elbowed Sora, knocking him back.

"Ugh!" groaned Sora.

Ansem put his hand out, "Perhaps this will enlighten you!"

A group of pink energy balls surrounded Sora, circling around him like vulture ready to attack. Sora noticed they were glowing brightly, blinding him. They then fired a small energy beam, hitting him from all sides. Sora felt the burning pain from each attack, and slowly fell down. Sora quickly landed on the surface of the vessel, recovering from the damage. More came at him and jumped over it. He moved left and right, dodging blasts after blast.

The beams formed different shapes by colliding with each other, trying to confuse Sora, but the boy managed to make it through them safely. Ansem gritted his teeth, this kid was better then he though. Ansem fired more beams at Sora who spun around, evading the attacks. Sora flew through them beams, dodging them quickly. Making it through all of the attacks, he clashed with Ansem again, the fierce metal of their blades against each other.

Sora flew back and slashed at Ansem, who moved his head out of the way. Ansem horizontally slashed, with Sora ducking under the attack. Sora gave a jab at Ansem's head, but the man moved it right. Ansem quickly kicked at Sora, knocking him into the air. Sora quickly flew back, only to see more beams coming at him. Getting annoyed with that attack, Sora stuck his keyblade out, the beams hitting the blade part, and he redirected that attack back at Ansem.

Ansem put his staff up, ready to block the attack. Sora was clever, but not that clever. All of a sudden Sora quickly flew to the other side of the area and threw his keyblade at Ansem. The attack hit him in the back, causing him to scream in pain. Fed up with Sora, he turned to face him, forgetting the beams were still coming at him. Ansem charged a dark energy ball in his hands, laughing sinisterly.

"Well, boy," Ansem smirked. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," Sora replied, chuckling. "I'd look out if I were you."

Ansem abruptly turned around, only to get hit by his own attack. Ansem screamed as the beam blasted his chest. He lunged back, damaged from the attack. The pain was unbearable considering it was his own attack. Clenching his chest tightly, he looked up at Sora with anger in his eyes.

"_This insolent brat has more power than I thought he did," _Ansem thought weakly. _"He thinks he can defeat me? He still doesn't understand the full extent of darkness." _He then looked up at Sora, panting weakly. "You're a lot more powerful than I comprehended. However, you haven't seen what true darkness can be. I shall now achieve my maximum power, but I must go into a short slumber in order to obtain it." Sora was confused by his words. If Ansem in fact did that, he would be left wide open by Sora, who could end this fight. Why would he tell him that? "By all means, you may defeat me now. However, in doing so will cost you the lives of your friends."

"You wouldn't dare!" snarled Sora, shocked by Ansem's words. "You're really low!"

"The choice is yours," Ansem explained. "Now, observe!"

Ansem made his staff disappear and he crossed his arms over one another. Slowly, he rested his back into the guardian, closing his eyes, his power beginning to grow. A heartless symbol covered his body in the end. Sora knew that he could attack, but he wouldn't want to put his friends' lives at risk. The decision was unanimous, he had to rescue Luigi and Yoshi. He scanned the area, hoping to find a door that would lead him to them. Finally, he saw another portal appear. The same one that sucked his pals into it. Sora flew into the portal quickly, hoping he would run into them.

"I'm coming, guys!" Sora called to them.

A flash of light appeared and Sora was in a room of darkness. Below him was a heartless symbol that glowed blew, the only source of light. While looking down he saw a shadow appear in the light areas. Sora used scan and sensed more then just one, in fact there were about fifteen in the entire room. Sora got knocked aside by the creatures because of the darkness. With the help of scan, Sora was able to detect their locations and defeat them.

Sora used Strike Raid to knock them all down, and finish them with a hard blow, turning them into dust. That was easy, Sora thought, but he had to move on. A flash of light appeared before, revealing a giant red core. Figuring it was only way out, he quickly slashed the giant core, turning it into pieces. The pieces exploded before Sora's eyes, sending him flying through a dark portal, knocking him back into World's Chaos.

Sora shook his head as he recovered from the blow. Looking up, he saw another portal appear right by Ansem. Sora then heard a familiar voice inside of his head.

"_Sora, help!" _said the voice of Yoshi.

"Yoshi! Hang on!"

Sora flew towards the portal as fast as he could. On the way, the heartless tried to stop him by firing blasts of energy and giant fireballs. One fireball knocked Sora off his course. The guardian through a burst of energy at him, sending him flying away from the vessel of darkness. Sora quickly charged back, ready for another go. The attacks came at them again, but Sora deflected the attacks back, hitting the heartless in the process.

Sora finally reached the portal and flew through. He arrived in yet another room, which had the same design as the last room. Sora looked around them room, hoping Yoshi was around. Unknown to him, a round heartless was slowly sneaking up from behind, ready to stalk its pray. It pushed back a little bit and then charged forward, snapping its mouth as it went. Sora heard the snapping sound, and quickly turned around to see the heartless. It was about to attack when a red, skinny, slimy substance wrapped around the creatures body and pulled it away.

Sora happily turned to see Yoshi running towards him, arms opened with joy. Yoshi knocked Sora over and licked his face. Sora felt the slimy wetness of his friend's licks as it got all over his face, tickling him in the process. How much he missed Yoshi's friendly licks.

"Yoshi, you're okay!" Sora laughed happily. "Now stop it, I'm okay! Honest!"

Yoshi sat up and Sora sat up as well, petting Yoshi's head.

"Sora save Yoshi," Yoshi cheered. "Sora's my hero!"

Sora blushed at the comment, "Well, you saved me too, so you're my hero little buddy." He then looked around the room. "Where's Luigi?"

Yoshi shrugged his shoulders, "I no sure. Yoshi too scared in here to even look around."

"Don't worry," Sora smiled with assurance. "It will be okay." The duo turned to see more heartless appear before them. "Let's deal with these guys!"

Yoshi nodded and the two charged at the heartless. Sora slashed through the heartless, cutting them into shreds, taking the attacks from close range. Yoshi stayed his distance and ate some, turning them into eggs. He then fired it at them, knocking them back from the egg. Sora slashed through some more, using everything at his disposal. Magic, badge abilities, and more combined attacks. Finally, the two finished off the remaining heartless. As they took a chance to recover they saw another core appear before them.

"What that, Sora?" Yoshi asked dumfounded.

"Our ticket out of here." Sora responded.

Just like last time, Sora slashed through the core, destroying instantly. Knowing what was to come next Sora quickly grabbed Yoshi, embracing him as another explosion occurred, knocking them back out into world's chaos. The two looked around at their surroundings as they tried to locate Luigi next. Sora felt a chill in his spine, wondering how much time left before Ansem reached his full power. He knew that he would need Luigi and Yoshi to finish off the villain.

Sora and Yoshi then heard Luigi's voice and it seemed a bit faded.

"_Yow! Hey, watch the hat! Ha! Ha! You missed! Ow! Hey, can't you take a joke?" _

Sora and Yoshi followed Luigi's voice, noticing it was getting louder every second. They finally flew to the front of the vessel only to notice the giant face at the front, roaring at them. Yoshi hid behind Sora, frighted of the creature. Sora turned to Yoshi and stroke his nose lightly.

"Listen, I know you're scared, but I need your help." Sora said. "I can't win this alone, and deep down past that endless pit you call a stomach is the heart of a fearless warrior, Yoshi."

"Sora think so?" Yoshi asked.

Sora smiled, "I know so."

Yoshi looked at Sora, seriousness in his eyes. He wasn't going to be scared, but he was going to fight now. Anything to save Luigi. The duo nodded to each other and turned to the head. It roared at them loudly, but they showed no fear as it came at them. Sora and Yoshi charged for the head, flying at top speed. When they arrived they released an array of attacks upon the creature. The two attacked the forehead, avoiding the mouth so it wouldn't bite them.

However, the creature fired lightening from above which seriously damaged them. Sora used cure to restore their health adding Aeroga to protect them. The damage lessened as they struck again, Sora slashing and Yoshi punching, kicking, and biting at the head. The creature felt the pain of the combined attacks and if finally got mad. It charged up energy and released it upon them, knocking them back. Sora went back farther then Yoshi did. The little dinosaur quickly returned with a harsh blow with his head.

Sora looked on with an impressed look. Yoshi was doing it on his own as he continued to deliver the hard blows. Finally, Yoshi began to get tired and soon enough, he fell down into the endless darkness. Sora quickly flew down, catching him in his arms. Sora flew up and landed on the surface of World's Chaos, gently placing him down. Sora pet Yoshi's head as he was so proud of him. Yoshi looked up at Sora with a smile.

"You've come along way," Sora smiled. "You're a true hero." He then made a sad look. "Won't be the same without you."

"We need to worry about Luigi first." Yoshi weakly pointed out.

Sora used Curaga to revive Yoshi's strength. The two flew at the head again and continued their strategy. Finally, the head couldn't take any more abuse and disappeared before the heros' eyes. They noticed a giant hole taking its place. A magical portal appeared, giving the duo an entrance to their third friend. They quickly hurried in. Inside, they saw the demon like heartless with swords, chasing a familiar green capped plumber.

"Mama-mia!" Luigi cried as he dodged a sword attack. "Why me? Why me?" He then tripped and fell onto the ground. Looking up, he saw the heartless bringing its sword down on him. "This is it! I'm going to that great pizza parlor in the sky!" Sora quickly dashed forward and blocked the attack. Luigi looked up and sighed with relief. "Boy, thank goodness you got here, kid."

Yoshi ran over to Luigi and licked his face, happy to see him again. Luigi was able to get Yoshi under control and stood up.

"We still have work to finish." Sora announced. "These heartless aren't going to run away."

"I would." Luigi said nervously.

The trio stood ready as the heartless flew at them. Sora ran at one and kicked it aside. He jumped over one and spun around, slashing its back. Luigi used gravity to bring it down and Yoshi finished it with a pound to the ground. The group plowed their way through swarms and swarms of heartless. They put their hearts into every attack, knowing they still had to finish this battle. Finally, the trio combined their powers to perform trinity limit, wiping out the heartless.

The trio then noticed the core appearing before them. Without wasting time Sora slashed the core again, destroying it. The explosion knocked them out the vessel and into World's Chaos. They looked up to see Ansem was still charging his energy.

"Why is he snoozing?" Luigi asked Sora in confusion.

"He's powering up to his maximum power." explained Sora.

Luigi gasped in fear and tried to fly for it, but he felt Sora and Yoshi holding him back.

"Luigi have to pick worse time to be coward." Yoshi groaned, holding Luigi back.

"What? No time like the present, right?" Luigi chuckled nervously.

Sora looked to see World's Chaos glowing brightly, giving off an incredible amount of energy. Sora knew they were too late to stop Ansem. The group quickly flew up to see what happened as the energy dimmed. Ansem came out of his slumber, holding his staff, looking at the trio with an evil glare.

"You fools are too late!" Ansem laughed manically. "I have achieved my full power! You cannot stop my onslaught! You shall all bow before the king of all darkness!"

"Bowing is last thing we want to do!" Yoshi cried bravely.

"Then you shall perish before my twin blades of terror!" Ansem laughed.

Sora looked up at Ansem as he spun his staff around his body. This was it, he thought. This was their last chance to set things right. The final battle for the fate of all worlds hung in the balance. Sora turned to Luigi and Yoshi, both with fire of determination in their eyes. Sora held the keyblade in his hands, sweating nervously. He then glared at his friends again, the friends who were true blue to him. They weren't afraid as long as they stuck together.

"You guys ready for one last battle?" Sora asked.

Luigi gave a thumbs up, "We wouldn't miss it for the world!" He then turned to Yoshi. "Right?"

"Uh-huh" Yoshi nodded in agreement.

"And..." Sora said closing his eyes. "I just want to let you guys know, it's been a real honor fighting along side of you."

"Likewise," Luigi responded warmly. "We may have had our differences in the past, but you've been like a son to me. Someone who is close and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sora smiled back, "Thank you." He then bravely turned back to Ansem. "LET'S DO IT!"

The three flew at Ansem at full speed with the seeker of darkness awaiting their attack. The three attacked and Ansem blocked with his staff.

CLANG!

A loud sonic wave erupted, creating powerful high waves. World's Chaos began shaking abruptly from the force of their attacks. Sora swiped at Ansem who dodged and kicked him aside. Luigi and Yoshi kicked from behind, knocking him back. Sora quickly brought his keyblade down on the man who blocked it, and bent his head back as Yoshi came by with a ram from the head. He then quickly ducked as Luigi threw a fire punch, missing the attack. He then grabbed the plumber and threw him back.

Sora gave a hard uppercut to the jaw, knocking him up. He countered with a slash which the plucky keyblade master dodged. The two clashed again and moved back. Sora swiped at Ansem who dodged and Ansem swiped at Sora with a thrust which he dodged. The two continued to swipe at each other, dodging their attacks. Luigi and Yoshi came in and rammed their heads into the man's stomach. Grabbing both of them, he threw them into Sora, knocking them back to the ground.

Ansem fired more lasers which the trio dodged by flying all over the place. Sora quickly ran up the ship of darkness, dodging blasts as he went. At one point he tripped and fell, but quickly spun on the floor, dodging more lasers. Sora quickly kicked into the air again, furiously charging at Ansem. The two clashed again, creating sparks from the energy. Sora and Ansem got into a melee of sword attacks, clashing and dodging their attacks.

Ansem gave a thrust at Sora's head who dodged it. He quickly kicked his foot up, knocking the evil king over him. Ansem went so far that the cords he was attached to were tight, ready to tear off. Ansem flew back at Sora again, ready to attack. Ansem was about to bring his staff down when Yoshi and Luigi came from above, hammering him into the ground. He kicked back up and slashed them with a hard blow.

They spun through the air and finally gained control. They flew back with full force ready for another round. Ansem fired three energy balls at them, all which were dodged. Sora and Luigi shot fire at him, while Yoshi fired an egg which Ansem dodged. He then fired red beams at the heros and Sora quickly cast Aeroga, knocking the attacks away. A giant explosion occurred from the impact. Ansem noticed smoke and dust covering the area. As it cleared, they saw the trio reappear, panting heavily.

Ansem was still having a hard time defeating them. He couldn't believe his eyes at this turn of events. He got angry, his plans, his tactics weren't working on these three. He knew there was only one way to end this battle.

"That's it!" Ansem screamed. He then took a deep breath, calming down. "You're powers are amazing, but now I shall end this all with one strike."

"How come the leaders always have to finish it with a final attack?" Luigi moaned.

"NOW DIE!"

Ansem slashed at the trio, knocking them onto the platform of World's Chaos. Sora landed directly behind Luigi and Yoshi who were more forward. Ansem held in hands into the air, conjuring up a spell. A small dark energy ball appeared in his hands, charged with energy. It began to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until it was bigger then a house.

Sora sweated nervously, "I'm going to file this in the category of not good!"

"Stop saying that!" Luigi said in annoyance.

Ansem put his hands up, "Behold, darkness! You weak hearted fools are about to witness real power!"

Ansem threw the energy ball at the trio who looked up in shock. It came down at them in a fast pace, not stopping for anything. Luigi tried magic, but it didn't work. This was it, they couldn't win. The attack was too powerful. Luigi and Yoshi embraced themselves in fear while Sora looked at the energy ball. They were scared of what was about to happen. The shivered rapidly feeling the chill.

"Good-bye, Yoshi!" Luigi cried.

"Good-bye, Luigi!" Yoshi also cried.

The duo watched the attack get closer to them. They were too scared to look at the end results, but they looked up as a shadow was over them. They saw Sora, looking at them, his back to the energy ball, his arms out on each side. Sora looked at them with a stern look.

"Guys! Run!" Sora shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Sora, are you out of your mind?" Luigi gasped in horror.

The energy ball then hit Sora's back, making the pain unbearable. He felt the burning pain abuse his back. It was so bad that he thought he was going to be sick. Using all of his will, he pushed against the ball, holding it back.

"I SAID GO!" Sora shouted again.

Luigi and Yoshi didn't want to leave their friend behind, but were amazed to see Sora risking his life for them. They hesitated at first, they didn't want to leave, but as the attack pushed down on Sora, they didn't seem to have a choice. Luigi quickly took Yoshi's hand and flew for it. Yoshi tried to release Luigi's grip, but Luigi held on as he pulled the dinosaur safely from the battle field. Ansem grinned as he watched Sora, screaming hysterically in pain.

The beam finally pushed Sora onto the ground, too strong for him to handle. The ball of darkness finally exploded, sending a dark wave flying through out the area. The force knocked Luigi and Yoshi back into the darkness of the abyss. They watched as the explosion finally subsided, making everything peaceful. The duo quickly flew back to World's Chaos which was now in pieces. What they saw shocked them; Sora was lying on a small piece of land, out like a light bulb.

A smile appeared on his face, knowing he had done good. Luigi and Yoshi quickly flew over to their friend and tried to wake him up. He wouldn't wake up. He didn't budge an inch. Luigi took Sora's hand and took his pulse. Luigi looked at his watch, timing it. He didn't feel a pulse. Luigi was left speechless by this turn of events.

"Why did you do that?" Luigi whispered, tears angrily filling up in his eyes. "You can't be..." Sora remained like a lifeless doll. Luigi got so angry that he slammed his fists onto Sora's chest. "SORA!" Luigi buried his face into Sora's chest, crying his heart out. He felt like it should have been him to take the blow instead of Sora who made a heroic move. Sora's just a kid, and yet, Luigi sat there like a frightened puppy, unable to do anything to help.

Yoshi understood what happened. He was speechless. Sora was really gone for good. Yoshi screamed at the top of his lungs, tears bursting down his face. He slammed his fists into the ground, crying uncontrollably. Standing before them, watching with no regret was Ansem. Evil filled his eyes, he was so happy to finally be rid of the keyblade master.

"I WON!" Ansem roared with laughter. "THE FOOLISH BOY IS GONE FOR GOOD!"

Ansem laughter echoed throughout the endless abyss of darkness that stretched out through eternity. Luigi and Yoshi continued to cry their hearts out for the lost. They looked at him again, so peaceful as he lied there, a warm smile upon his face. It seems that it was all over as their last hope fell to the darkness ...or did he? Sora was floating underwater like at the beginning of his dream. He couldn't feel anything, he remained lifeless. He could only feel remorse, knowing he failed to protect his loved ones.

"I...failed..." he whispered lightly. "I...tried...but...couldn't do it. I'm...sorry..." He said the last part even quieter. "Kairi...I...love...you..."

He fell into the endless water unable to do a thing. He slowly opened his eyes and looked to see a wave of darkness consuming him. Once he entered, he wasn't coming back. He felt the darkness pulling him at a fast rate. He closed his eyes, getting a picture of his friends one last time. Luigi, he was going to miss the goofiness from him. Riku, the friend he grew up with and was his greatest rival. Yoshi, always gave him the boost of confidence and was fun to be with. Kairi, the girl of his dreams, the one he truly loved with all his heart.

Sora was about an inch away from hitting the portal when he stopped. He was confused, what was happening. Slowly opening his eyes, he gasped upon who he saw. It was Kairi, holding his hand, pulling him out of the water.

"Sora," she whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Kairi?" he replied in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Silly bum," she giggled. "I told you I wouldn't let you do this alone."

Kairi began to pull Sora up faster. Sora began to feel his body again. The water against his face, the water clogging up his nose. The two reached the top and stopped, floating their in the water. Sora all of a sudden noticed he wasn't alone. He saw the seven summons appear before his every eyes, as well as the other princesses.

"Where they did they come from?" Sora asked in surprise.

"They came because you're in trouble, silly." Kairi giggled. "We all put our hearts together and we're giving our power to you."

"Your brave sacrifice showed that your strength didn't come from the keyblade, but your heart." Peach said. "With such a brave person, there is no way we're going to let you lose this fight."

Sora looked on as he saw every single person he met on the journey appear before around him. They were in this together. They all put their hands out, creating giant orbs of light. Sora was amazed at their power and knew this is just what he needed.

"They went through all this trouble for me?" Sora asked Kairi, a bit misty-eyed. Kairi nodded and Sora put his head down. "You guys are the best friends a kid could ever had. Thank you."

The light orbs formed into one giant ball. It began to glimmer down on Sora, who could feel his life force coming back to him. He felt his power growing even stronger then ever. Every single person from Leon, Cloud, Ash, Pikachu, Link, Kirby, and others all smiled at him, giving him a ray of confidence. He even saw Riku near by who gave a thumbs up.

Finally, the light dimmed as Sora's body began to glow. Kairi leaned over to Sora, smiling warmly.

"Don't lose." she whispered. "Here's a good luck present."

Kairi kissed Sora lightly on the cheek, causing him to blush. Everything faded away as he felt himself regain consciousness. Back at the World's Chaos, Sora's body began to glow brightly, the keyblade transformed into a more powerful form, the Ultima Weapon. It was embraced by golden diamonds shape holes. The yellow lines going diagonally up to the top of the blade which had a golden flame.

Everyone was baffled by this turn of events. Sora's body was glowing in a beautiful aurora of gold. The light finally dimmed and everyone looked over Sora. His eyes opened. He sat up, looking at himself to see his wounds were healed. Luigi and Yoshi screamed in joy and hugged Sora tightly.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "Take it easy guys!"

Ansem couldn't believe it. How did Sora survive? He became afraid, this boy would not die.

"This...this can't be," Ansem said in fear. "That was my most powerful attack." Sora stood up, holding the Ultima Weapon in his hand, eyeing Ansem. "How can you still be standing?"

"Because," Sora smirked with confidence. "My friends will always be in my heart. And as long as the light shines brightly, and we believe in each other, anything is possible. This ends now!"

Sora flew at Ansem with the keyblade tightly gripped in both hands. Ansem growled angrily and tried to strike Sora, but the boy slashed the staff, splitting it in two. Ansem was left stunned by this. He lost the battle. He knew that it was all over. Sora finally ended the battle with a giant slash to Ansem, creating a giant cut of light. Ansem felt the pain rise in his chest, unable to take it. Sora stabbed the bottom of the remains of World's Chaos, releasing a ray of light upon it.

The broken vessel began to explode before their eyes. Luigi and Yoshi quickly grabbed Sora and flew for it as the ship of darkness exploded. The cut on Ansem turned into a ball of light and engulfed him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ansem screamed.

The giant vessel exploded before their eyes, creating a giant ball of fire appear. The wind blew hard, pushing them back ever so slightly. Finally, the explosion ended taking everything with it. It remained calm for a moment as the trio stood in the blackness of the area, knowing they finally did it. Sora panted heavily as his new powers took a toll on him. The Ultima Weapon vanished from Sora's hand, exchanging it for the normal keyblade. Sora thanked all who helped him win the fight. He slowly began to fall, but the others caught him.

"Whoa there, partner." Luigi said. "You're not going anywhere."

"Is Sora okay?" Yoshi asked concerned.

Sora made his famous smile and gave a thumbs up, "You bet!" He then looked back at the blackness of the area. He couldn't believe it, they really did it. "It's over. It's finally over."

"Kid, you were amazing!" Luigi cheered. "You were all like..." He then pretended to hold a sword and swipe it. "Hiyah! And Ansem was all like..." He then waves his hands out, indicating to stop someone. "Ahh! Darkness! Ahh!"

Sora and Yoshi both started laughing their heads off when they heard that. Sora was still in pain so he could feel his body ached as he laughed.

"Oh, man, that was such a good impression," Sora laughed. "But stop making me laugh I still ache!"

It felt good to have a joyous moment the three of them. They knew that their battle was finally over and they looked at each other, proud of what they've accomplished. The trio weren't done yet though. They had to take care of the door to Kingdom Hearts. They slowly made their way over to the door, Luigi and Yoshi supporting Sora who was too weak to fly.

The trio then heard a familiar voice, "Wait up, I say!"

The trio turned to see Toadsworth flying up to them. However, he took a long time as he was still far away and was moving rather slowly. Yoshi flew over to Toadsworth and got him onto his back. Yoshi then flew back to join the others. Luigi sighed with relief, knowing the elder was alright.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Toadsworth." Luigi sighed with relief. "I was beginning to worry about you."

"No worries, Master Luigi," Toadsworth chortled. "I was kind of lost in this place until I found you three." He then noticed the trio were beaten up. "So, I take it you won in my absence." Sora and the others explained about what happened with Ansem and how they won. Toadsworth was astonished by this. He then made a disappointed look. "Oh, darn it. I missed out on a truly fantastic battle."

"Well don't expect an encore performance," Luigi said. "Cause I've had enough of hearing that nut job saying 'darkness' all the time." He then made his finger move in a clockwise way. "On and on like a broken record."

"Agree with you there, buddy." Sora chuckled. He then made a serious look. "We have one more task to complete."

"The door?" Yoshi asked Sora. The boy simply nodded. "We need to move!"

Luigi looked down at the darkness as he could of sworn he felt something. He then saw something slowly rise from below them. It was in the shadows at first, but upon it getting closer Luigi saw who it was. He was petrified with fear as he saw it float up. His knees started to shake, his heart rate went up, his teeth started chattering. The others noticed this strange behavior.

"Master Luigi?" Toadsworth asked with curiosity. "Are you okay?"

"A...A...A..." Luigi stuttered

"Dude, if you're going to sneeze at least cover your mouth." Sora said disgusted.

"ANSEM!" Luigi shouted.

The others quickly spun around and gasped in horror to see Ansem floating in front of their path to Kingdom Hearts. He was in his original clothing again and was clutching his chest tightly. He felt very weak, his breathing was hard, his muscles twitched a little bit.

"But...that's impossible!" said a stunned Sora. "How could have you survive that attack?"

Ansem looked at Sora weakly, breathing heavily, exhausted from the final battle. The sweat dripped down his long air as he stood there, panting. Ansem slowly lifted his head up so he can get a good look at Sora.

"Because the darkness lives on." Ansem responded. "Darkness cannot be destroyed, and you simple fools may have won the battle, but you've lost the war."

"You're the one whose lost." responded Sora with a snap. "Lost your mind that is."

"Hasn't he lost his mind from the beginning of this whole ordeal?" Luigi asked rhetorically.

"Silence!" Ansem hissed. "You think you can stop me by reaching the door? That effort is futile, you four, let alone the keyblade cannot seal the door to darkness." It was a last ditch of effort, but he needed supreme power. "It's not too late! I can still win this!" The group watched as Ansem turned towards Kingdom Hearts, his hand reaching out dramatically for it, trying to grasp its energy. "Kingdom Hearts! I command you! Fill me...with the power of darkness!" The door slowly began to creep open, revealing dark waves around the edges of the door. Ansem grinned with delight, he was about to gain true power. "Yes! That's it! Supreme darkness is mine!"

"Ahh, shut up with your darkness, motor mouth!" Luigi said putting his hands on his ears.

Sora looked at the door, feeling something different about the door of darkness. He couldn't feel any darkness come out of it. In fact, he didn't even think Kingdom Hearts was a door to darkness. He then remembered what Kairi's grandmother said.

"_But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away." _

Sora knew the truth right there and then. He bravely flew forward, looking at Ansem.

"You're wrong, Ansem!" Sora shouted. "About everything!"

Ansem glanced at Sora, "Wrong? How can I be wrong?"

Sora took a deep breath and spoke fully and clearly. What he said next changed everything around.

"I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is...light!"

Ansem's eyes widened in surprise as the door crept open even more. A bright light flashed out of it, hitting the king of darkness. He grunted as he covered himself from the light. Its spectacular power was draining his energy. He became paralyzed by the light that shined upon him. Ansem was not expecting something like this to happen. The light was too much for him to take. He began to feel extremely weakly.

"Lights?" Ansem grunted, his voice sounded so weak he could barley form words. "But why?"

His body got consumed by the light, blinding everyone for the moment. It truly was an amazing sight as the light finally dimmed. The group looked to see Ansem was no longer present. The light completely consumed him, but Sora had a feeling they would meet again. He didn't know why, but for his sake he hoped not. Luigi smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Now, he says light." Luigi groaned. "Mama-mia! Make up your mind!"

"Where did he go?" Toadsworth asked Sora.

"I don't know, but let's not stick around to find out." Sora said. He then flew towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Luigi called to Sora.

"We have to take care of Kingdom Hearts!" Sora said as he flew towards the door.

The others followed him to the white narrow path that led to the door of darkness. Luigi took the chance to recover everyone from their epic battle against Ansem. Sora landed on the ground and ran to the door with the others following him. Sora looked at the door with amazement. It the biggest door he's ever seen in his life and was very majestic. Sora saw the sides of Kingdom Hearts' doors wide open.

"We did it!" Yoshi cheered. He then made a confused look. "Um, now that we find door, what we do with it?"

"We have to close it," Sora proclaimed. "If we don't, the darkness will flow out and that won't be good." Sora scanned the door. He knew they would have to close it at the exact same time because that would waste time. "Okay, Luigi and Yoshi take one side and I'll take the other." Sora then looked Toadsworth. "I would ask you to help, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"Indeed, Master Sora." Toadsworth nodded.

"Why doesn't he ever say about me?" Luigi muttered to himself.

The trio ran over to the door of darkness and put their hands on each side. Luigi and Yoshi were together on one door, while Sora was on the other door. Sora looked to Luigi and Yoshi who nodded at him.

"Okay, 1..2..3...PUSH!" Sora directed.

The trio began to push against the doors of Kingdom Hearts. However, they had a hard time pushing the doors. They pressed their bodies against the door, adding more weight to close the doors. The doors barely moved as the darkness was preventing them from doing so. Their feet started to slide on the ground as they pushed. They felt their bodies starting to ache, sweat poured down from their faces as they pushed and pushed.

Yoshi, being the curious dinosaur he was, wanted to see what was behind the door. While Sora and Luigi continued to push, Yoshi stuck his head in. What he saw shocked him to the core. Luigi leaned his back against the door, pushing with all his might.

"I think I need to go workout at the Glitz Pit." Luigi struggled. He then stopped to see Yoshi peaking in the door. "Hey, this door can't close itself you know! Stop staring and keep pushing!" He then began to get a bit curious himself. "Then again...it wouldn't hurt just to take a tiny little peek." Luigi looked into the door and well and what he saw startled him. "Shocking spaghetti!"

Inside the door was a dark room with uvula like structures sticking out from every inch of the area. Small blue energy tubes were stuck all around it. Luigi and Yoshi noticed dark waves on the ground. They knew this meant big trouble.

"The heartless!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Hurry, I'm not planning on spending the rest of my life in darkness." Luigi said. "I have too much to live for..."

"Relax, Master Luigi," Toadsworth said calmly. "Surely if you push hard enough..."

"We're doing our best, but it's not working." Sora interrupted. He then got on one knee. "I can't budge this stupid door!" He angrily slammed his fist into door, angry with himself. He knew they couldn't do it. The doors were too powerful. He was about to give up when heard a voice.

"Don't give up!" called Riku.

Sora at first thought is was a voice inside of his head again, but he heard something touch the door. Looking up, he saw a familiar white haired figure looking at him with a smile Sora gasped happily upon seeing him.

"Riku, you're alive!" Sora cried happily.

"There's no time," Riku said with a rush tone. "Come on, man! Let's work together and close this big old door!"

Sora knew that Riku has returned to his old self. He knew he could put his trust back in his childhood friend. He nodded with seriousness in his face.

"Right!"

The boys, Luigi, and Yoshi continued to push the door shut. With the combined strength of the friendly rivals, the door on their side began to shut. Luigi and Yoshi was also able to get the door to shut on their side. After only a few moments, sadly, the doors stopped again. Sora and Riku both gasped at seeing this.

"What happened?" Yoshi asked.

"There is something blocking it," Riku groaned as he pulled with all his might. "The darkness is getting too strong."

Riku glanced over his shoulder to see two darkside heartless emerge from the ground. He gritted his teeth in anger. They couldn't close the door. It was just too powerful. They pushed for what seemed like hours, endless, long, and hard. The four were getting exhausted from trying. Finally, Luigi started to panic.

"THAT'S IT!" Luigi panicked. "WE'RE DONE FOR! WE'RE THROWING IN THE TOWEL! GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!"

Toadsworth grabbed Luigi' shirt collar and smacked him rapidly across the face.

"Master Luigi, calm down!" Toadsworth snapped. "There must be someway to close it!"

"Okay, but could you stop slapping me?" Luigi cried in pain.

"Oops, sorry," Toadsworth said putting Luigi down. "A tad over done I say."

"Look!" Yoshi called.

Everyone looked into the door to see the darkside heartless disintegrating before them. The inside of Kingdom Hearts became less dark now as the darkness slowly faded away. Everyone was confused as to who or what destroyed them.

"What just happened?" Luigi asked. "How did those heartless get destroyed?" He glanced at Sora.

"It wasn't me." Sora said shaking his head.

"Why don't you ask 'him' yourself?" Riku chuckled lightly.

"Him?" Sora said baffled.

The trio peeked into the door, trying to see if anyone was there. It seemed peaceful for a moment when they noticed a beautiful golden glow. A mysterious round figure jumped out from behind the uvula like structures, surrounded by the light. Sora squinted his eyes to see who it was more clearly. Sora was amazed as the figure was a bit similar to Luigi as he wore blue corduroy pants, a red long sleeved shirt inside it, white gloves, brown leather shoes, and a cap with the letters "M" on it. Unlike Luigi though, he was shorter and was more plump then the tall man.

Yoshi's mouth dropped wide open upon seeing the figure. Luigi was shocked the most, he felt his heart pounding, tears streaming down his eyes with hope. He felt a bit feeble from seeing this person. He felt so happy. Was it true? Is it really him?

"Hey," said the figure with a cheery voice. "It's-a-me, Mario!"

"BRO!" Luigi cried in excitement. "You're alive! I can't believe it! Is it really you? Is this a trick?"

"Hoo-hoo!" Mario laughed. "Relax little brother, of course it's-a-me. I'm-a-glad you're safe, too."

Yoshi jumped up and down with excitement, "Mario! We find Mario! Yoshi missed Mario!"

"And-a-I missed you-a-too, Yoshi." Mario responded. "However, we-a-have no time to lose. We'll-a-all be goners if we don't seal this-a-door."

Sora's eyes widened in surprise at what he saw Mario do next. He drew his very own keyblade. His was exactly the same as Sora's except the colors were on the opposite ends. The blade and keychain were gold and the handles were white.

"Another keyblade!" Sora exclaimed.

"Now, Sora, it's-a-time for us close this door for good!" Mario announced.

"But, bro," Luigi asked nervously. "Aren't you coming?"

"Sadly, I cannot pass to the other side," Mario said to Luigi's dismay. He then sighed sadly "But, it's-a-best this way."

"No!" Luigi shouted. "You're my brother, Mario! We're the Super Mario Brothers and we were born to stay together!"

"Luigi, please," Mario said warmly. "I want-a-to be with you, but it isn't my decision." He then smiled. "Little bro, it's-a-your turn to shine now! I-a-want you to take-a-my place as hero of-a-the Mushroom Kingdom."

Luigi dropped his hands, tears poured down his face. He didn't want to lose his only brother, although it would be his chance to take the spotlight, he could never be the hero Mario was.

"I'm nothing but a wimp." Luigi said as he started to breakdown. "I can never be like you, bro. You're brave, I'm not. I can't do this without my big brother. Please, don't leave!"

"Luigi..." Sora whispered, feeling sorry for his friend.

Mario walked over to the crack of the door and smiled warmly, "Luigi, stand-a-before me." Luigi walked over to the crack of the door. Mario gently placed his hands on his younger siblings shoulders. "I have-a-faith in you. You helped-a-Sora defeat Ansem and-a-save the world, putting your-a-own life at risk. You've-a-come along way as-a-I watched you grow. I'm so proud to have a little brother like you, Luigi." Luigi looked up at his older sibling who took off his hat and brushed his hair. "Now, the Mushroom Kingdom needs a new champion, and I can count on you, right?" Luigi wiped his tears and looked at his older brother, nodding. "I-a-knew it! You'll-a-do find, Luigi. I'll always be with you little brother."

"I love you, Mario." Luigi sniffled.

"I love you too, Luigi." Mario replied, his eyes filled with tears as well.

"Such an amazing man," Toadsworth smiled. "You truly are an honest and kind person, Master Mario."

Mario made his way back towards the center of the innards of Kingdom Hearts. Turning back, he looked at Luigi once more.

"One-a-more thing," Mario said. "Tell Peach I'm-a-sorry." Luigi dried his tears and nodded. He then turned to Sora. "Okay, kiddo, it's-a-show time!"

Luigi looked up with determination in his eyes and turned to Sora, "Quick, close this door!"

Mario noticed a guilty look in Sora's eyes, like he didn't want to seal the door. Also, Riku would be trapped in there as well, so he would never see Riku again.

"Sora, don't-a-worry." Mario said with reassurance. "Just-a-remember that no matter where you go, there will always be a door to the light."

Sora didn't know if he could take his words for granted, but he saw Yoshi smiling at him.

"Sora, Mario is very trustworthy." Yoshi said warmly. "You can always count on him."

"Hurry!" Riku shouted. "They're coming!"

The group began to close the door as it finally moved more easily. Mario smiled at his brother and friend.

"Luigi, Yoshi, thank you for helping." Mario said. "Good-bye."

The trio finally got the door to a point where it was inches away from closing for good. Luigi and Yoshi pushed with all their might, while Sora stopped for a second. He saw a small crack left of his best friend. He knew that he would never see him again, and he wished it didn't have to be like this.

"Riku..." Sora said softly

What Riku said made Sora understand everything. Four little words was all he needed to hear from the silver haired boy. The words would stay with him for a long time to come.

"Take care of her." Riku said, warmly smiling.

Sora took those words for granted and nodded at his friend. Though they may never see each other again, he would always search for the door to the light. Somehow, someday, someway, he would find Riku again and they would be reunited. The door finally closed, causing the crack in the middle to glow brightly.

"Time to finish this!" Sora said as he drew his keyblade.

Sora jumped back and pointed his keyblade into the sky, holding it with both hands. The tip glowed brightly as it prepared to make the seal. Mario took his keyblade and spun it around, making sparkles appear around it.

"Here we go!" he cried.

Mario pointed his keyblade into the sky, the tip of his also glowing brightly. The power of the two keyblade masters released the energy upon the door, sealing the door. A magnificent display of light surrounded it as the door continued to get brighter and brighter. Small light waves traveled up, surrounding the door. Finally, the door of light dimmed out of the group's eyes. Kingdom Hearts vanished completely, never to be seen again.

It was finally over. The door was finally closed and piece was restored. Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi fell on their backs, laughing weakly. They finally did it. Toadsworth smiled upon the three heros and walked over to them. Though they were happy, the realized that they've lost someone special to them. A tear streamed down Luigi's face as he went into memory lane, remembering his childhood days with Mario.

He remembered the two of them playing in their play area as babies. He chuckled, remembering they would always fight over the toys. Other times they would play with each other like brothers should. In their teen years, he remembered Mario always being supportive when he had zits on his face. Mario would use creams to wipe them off. They went to their first prom together with a girls from their high school. Luigi remembered when he tripped and fell, landing in a punch bowl.

Mario protected him from being embarrassed, by quickly getting him to the bathroom. He remembered their adult years when they opened their plumbing business. He then remembered when they were whisked away to the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, becoming the sworn defenders. He remembers how they rescued Peach from Bowser the first time. He remembered all the games they would play there: party boards, baseball, golf, tennis, soccer, basketball, and dance parties. He also remembered when he saved Mario from the haunted mansion, making him feel so proud of himself.

Yoshi also remembered getting in on the sports games and parties. He also remembered when Mario would ride his back to save Peach from Bowser. He remembered Mario telling him bedtime stories, feeding him, and kissing him good-night. Mario was like a father figure to him. He remembered when Mario would throw a frisbee, and Yoshi would catch it in his mouth, only to swallow it. Yoshi giggled at those memories.

"Bye-bye, Mario." Yoshi whispered sadly.

Sora had his own memories as well. He went back to his younger days on Destiny Islands when he and Riku would hang out together. They would play tag, play in the water, or get into scuffles for fun. They got older and talked about other worlds that were out there. He remembers when he and Riku met Kairi, and the two boys showed her how to have fun. They would play together, and Kairi would always have them run errands around the island, mostly Sora though. He then remembered the day Riku gave him the fruit to give to Kairi. Sora never thought he would do something like that. More memories appeared, but Sora wanted to end it for now.

The trio took a few minutes to catch their breath, and then they stood up. They looked at each other, knowing that since Ansem was defeated, this was the last time they would see each other. Luigi and Yoshi walked over to Toadsworth. The three magical citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom looked at Sora, who started to get a little misty eyed. Luigi stepped forward.

"Sora, you made our journey a good one," Luigi smiled. "Because of you the deed has been done. Mario got his wish and we completed our mission." He then made a sad look. "Now, the worlds will become separated again, and well...three of us will be returning to the Mushroom Kingdom. You're not one of them sadly."

"Guys," Sora sniffled. "I'm going to miss all of you." He started to sniffle a little more, tears building up in his eyes. The others put their heads down in sorrow. His voice cracked a little bit. "It's going to be so hard for me to say good-bye. I wish we could stay together, but thanks to those stupid walls, we can't." Sora walked forward. "You granted me the wish to travel to other worlds and you made my adventure magical and fun." He then walked over to Toadsworth and bent down to him. "Toadsworth, I'm going to miss you, man. You were like a Grandfather, and I mean that. Very wise, though a bit panicky."

Toadsworth hugged Sora, tears lightly streaming down his face.

"Thank you, Master Sora." Toadsworth said. "You take care of yourself and remember to brush your teeth after every meal."

Sora chuckled, "I'll keep that mind." Sora then walked over to Luigi. The plumber turned away from Sora, tears building up in his eyes again. "Luigi, I'm sorry for all the times I insulted you. I know you'll make a great hero." Luigi sniffled. "I know in the past we would have our problems, but as Sonic would say 'you're way past cool.'"

"You mean that?" Luigi choked.

"Every word, man." Sora honestly responded.

Luigi turned around and ran into Sora's arms, crying hardly on his chest.

"Oh, Sora!" Luigi bawled. "I'm going to miss you, too!"

"You're a great friend and I'll always remember you." Sora said, his voice still cracked. He then pulled away from Luigi. "And about your jokes...I think they're okay."

"Really?" Luigi asked in surprise. "Knock, knock.."

"Who's there?"

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"'Orange' you glad we beat Ansem." Luigi joked.

Sora rolled his eyes with a chuckle, _"I could be wrong though." _

Luigi hugged Sora again, crying away. Sora finally managed to get Luigi off and stood up again. Toadsworth patted Luigi on the back, trying to calm him down. Sora looked towards Yoshi next. Sora's heart pounded as he looked at the dinosaur. He couldn't even do it, he was too heartbroken. Sora breathing became rapid, tears were streaming down his face. He didn't want to leave Yoshi, but had too.

Sora was about to say something, but he stopped. He couldn't do it. This was worse then Yoshi's Island, he thought. He had no say in the matter this time. Finally, Sora turned away from Yoshi, too afraid to say good-bye. Yoshi looked at Sora and walked up to him.

"What's the matter with you?" Luigi asked a bit upset.

Toadsworth shushed Luigi, telling him to back off. Yoshi walked up to Sora and smiled at him, tears streaming down his face. Sora was the brother he never had, and would never forget him.

Yoshi stammered as he tried to form words, "I...I...I love you, Sora."

Sora couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. He turned around and grabbed Yoshi, pulling him into his arms, hugging him tightly. Sora started crying his heart out, his head rested on Yoshi's shoulder. Sora felt Yoshi's gentle loving licks wiping the tears away. He felt warm in the boy's arms right now as he held the young dinosaur. Luigi and Toadsworth looked on sadly as Sora continued to hug Yoshi. Sora put his face up to Yoshi's ear, whispering in it.

"I...I think..." Sora sniffled. "I...think I'm going to miss you most of all."

Yoshi stroke Sora's back, trying to comfort him. Tears were pouring down Yoshi's eyes as well. He was going to miss Sora so much, but he knew in his heart that Sora would always be with him.

"Sora..." Yoshi whispered lightly. "It's okay. I miss Sora the most times a hundred. But, Sora and Yoshi never be apart."

"How?" Sora sniffled as he gently moved Yoshi away from his arms, still holding him.

"If Sora and Yoshi never forget each other, we live on in each others hearts." Yoshi explained with a sniffle. He then held out his hand, extending his pinkie finger. "Pinkie swear Yoshi that you never forget him. Promise?"

Sora lightly chuckled at the whole pinkie swear thing, but realized it was the only for Yoshi to feel better. Sora too knew that he would feel better. Sora held out his pinkie to Yoshi, tears rushing down his face again. The two fingers curved around each other, holding on tightly. The two looked at each other, their emotions mixed with joy, anger, and sorrow. The two have become close, and although they would be broken by the walls, they would always be with each other. In their dreams, they would find away to each other, and be together forever.

"Promise!" Sora replied.

The two hugged each other again, both not saying a word to each other, lightly sobbing in each others arms. Luigi grabbed Toadsworth's vest and blew his nose into it, causing the mushroom elder to look at him in disgust.

"Master Luigi!" Toadsworth gasped.

Luigi sheepishly pulled away from Toadsworth, "Oops, sorry."

Yoshi whispered in Sora's ear, "Sora and Yoshi stay together forever, okay?"

Sora nodded to his dinosaur pal and petted his head. All of a sudden, Sora felt a familiar energy pattern behind him. Placing Yoshi down, he turned and gasped upon who he saw; a familiar red haired girl with a purple skirt. She looked around the area, lost and confused by her new surroundings. Not wasting anytime, Sora ran over to her.

"Kairi!" he called.

Yoshi wanted to follow, but he felt two hands gripping his shoulders. He looked up to see Luigi shaking his head at him. Yoshi sat down, legs spread out, head hung down, tears rushing down his face. He was heartbroken. Luigi put his arms around the dinosaur, comforting him. Toadsworth walked over and joined the others.

"It's okay," Luigi crooned to Yoshi. "We'll all miss him."

The three watched as Sora ran over to Kairi, getting one last look at the boy who turned their rescue mission into the biggest adventure they ever went on. They would never forget him, as Sora would never forget any of them. Finally, the journey appeared to be over. Sora ran at Kairi with full speed, his heart beating with excitement, his breathing becoming hard from running. Kairi looked at the ground, she noticed sand slowly appearing below her feet. Water slowly slid down the sand, revealing more land.

She was still confused about what was happening when she heard a voice.

"Kairi!" called Sora.

She looked up, her eyes widening with excitement. She saw him coming towards her. His brown hair, his yellow shoes, his red jumpsuit, she was happy to see him again.

"Sora!"

Sora finally reached Kairi, panting all the way. Upon stopping he took her hands and smiled. They felt so happy to be with each other after all of this time.

"You did it, Sora!" she said happily. "You really did it!"

"Not alone," Sora responded. "You helped me Kairi. When I saw lost in the endless river, you came to me. You helped me find the true light." He gently stroke her hair. "Now, we're together and nothing will ever separate us."

The two blushed at each other. They truly have fallen in love with each other for the first time as their blue eyes were fixed on each other. Slowly, they leaned their heads in, their lips slowly making their way towards each other. They felt the deep passion as they got closer and closer. Nothing could ruin this moment...or so they thought. Something unexpected happened, something both of them weren't counting on.

The ground began to split as they were ready for the kiss. The two children were both startled by this. They lost their balance and Kairi was about to fall, but taking one hand, Sora grabbed Kairi's hand, pulling her back up. Kairi tried to pull Sora over, but was shocked to see he was being forced back.

"Sora!" she exclaimed. "What's happening?"

"The walls are returning." Sora said sadly. "I...can't...crossover to you."

"WHAT?" Kairi screamed in shock. She began to panic. "No! This wasn't suppose to happen!" She tried to go over with Sora, but she couldn't get over. A powerful force prevented her from doing so. She became frightened. "Sora, we're suppose to go back together!" Tears filled up in her eyes. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Listen to me," Sora said. The land began to pull Sora away. He held Kairi's hand for as long as he could. "Remember when you told me you're always with me? Well, I'm always with you, too." They began to get more distant from each other. Their hands slowly lost a grip. "No matter how long it takes, no matter how old I get, I will come back to you! I promise!"

"I know you will!" Kairi replied.

Finally, their hands let go. Sora felt the island pull him farther and father away from Kairi. He tried calling out to her, but he went too far. Kairi sadly looked on as he began to disappear from her. She put her head down slowly folding her hands together. She felt depression upon her, she couldn't believe the love of her life was gone. Kairi noticed a small ball of light drop onto her hand. Looking up she saw a rain of light, gently pouring down from the sky.

Sora looked up at the beautiful lights, but they soon warped around the entire area he was on. Kairi watched Sora try to call to her one last time, but soon a misty glow surrounded him. The glow brightened and Sora disappeared from Kairi. She turned around to notice Destiny Island reappearing around her. The trees grew back, the buildings, the waterfall, the way she remembered it. She was finally home, only two people were missing.

Kairi saw a beautiful display of shooting stars fall down from the heavens. Kairi was left speechless as she saw the lights glimmering in her eyes. She put her head down, knowing she would never see Sora again. She then remembered her grandmother's story, the door to the light. Kairi knew that as long as that light was still out there, Sora would try to find it. She knew that if she waited and had faith, Sora would one day return to her.

A few hours have passed and everyone else forgot about the storm of darkness. Kairi explained everything that happened to Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus. They were completely stunned to hear that their friends were out there still.

"This looks bad, ya?" Wakka said disappointed.

"I hope they're okay." Selphie added worryingly.

Tidus put on a cheery smile, "Relax, guys. Sora and Riku are the coolest dudes ever. They'll find away back to the island."

Kairi nodded from those assuring words from her friends. She slowly walked off to wander around the island. She needed time to be alone, and respecting her wishes, Tidus and the others left to go play. Kairi walked over to the secret place, knowing it was the only place she could seek comfort. Inside, she walked through the cave, admiring the hand written pictures on the wall. To her left she saw the picture she and Sora drew so long ago.

She gasped upon what she saw. It was the picture Sora recently drew of him giving the paopu to her. She had no idea that out of all people, he would be the one. Kairi had tears streaming down her face. She took a piece of chalk and drew another star, giving it to the Sora head. Finally, she pressed her face against the wall and started to cry. She cried for minutes as she missed his quirkiness, his kindness, and his bravery.

There was no person she would rather be with. She felt sad deep down, missing him every moment as time passed on. However, if she waited, it would be possible to see him again. Kairi smiled at his picture, knowing he was out there searching, and she would be waiting. One day, she prayed that they will finally be reunited. But for now she could only think about him in her dreams, the boy she met at the night of the meteor shower.


	36. Epilogue: The Never Ending Story

A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I present the final chapter of Kingdom Hearts: The Nintendo Version.

**Epilogue: The Never Ending Story**

Thanks to the brave efforts of three heros, piece and prosperity has been finally restored upon every single world. Though the worlds have been separated, many who have met the keyblade master and his friends never forgotten their brave acts and deeds. Kairi still waits for Sora and Riku's return from her island. Everyday after school, she would head out to the island and look up at the sky, hoping with all her heart that they would come back. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie also worry about the two, but know that they will return if they don't lose hope.

Isle Delfino has returned to a sunny, peaceful, beautiful island. The town slowly made its recover from the incident with the Mario imposter and has gone onto bigger and better things. Opening a second theme park, and still being the number one vacation paradise on the planet. However, the citizens honor Sora's group for saving the town.

The Mushroom Kingdom has finally returned as well, meaning Peach has returned back to the castle. Toad Town has returned to a small, subherb little town nestled next to the castle. Since Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth haven't returned, everyone has been sad. At the front of the castle, Princess Peach held a important meeting for the towns folks. In appears that Bowser has returned and may attempt to kidnap her once again.

"We must double our efforts in this war against the koopa tribe," Peach announced. "Since Mario and Luigi are gone it is now up to maintain piece in this vast kingdom of ours." The citizens murmured to themselves worryingly. "I have faith in you my people, we must work together as one." She sadly put her head down. "Mario would have wanted it like this." She then looked back up, a determined look in her eyes. "That is why we must fight together! We fight or die trying! Who is with me?"

The crowd roared into cheers and applause, hearing the words of their mighty ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach headed back into the castle, sorrowing descending upon her. Daisy awaited her arrival, fearing her pain as she too lost the love of her life. Peach took Daisy's hands, tears pouring down her face.

"You miss him, huh?" Daisy asked. Peach nodded. "I miss Luigi, too. It won't be the same without that klutzy guy of mine. Mario is alive and I know he'll be fine. He may be trying to find a way back to you right now."

"And when he does come back," Peach smiled, looking up at Daisy. "He's going to get a kiss and a big piece of cake. I won't lose faith in him now. I pray for Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth, too." That night, Peach walked out onto the deck, looking at the stars. Folding her hands together, she too, just like Kairi will be waiting for the love of her life to return. "Return home my love."

The other princesses of heart also returned home as well, their loved one awaiting them. Samus continues her never ending battle against the space pirates. The female warrior travels throughout the land, fighting against the most diabolical creatures in space. She remembers her new friends Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi, showing you don't need to be a bounty hunter to be a hero. Dixie has returned to the swinging jungles of Kongo Bongo, getting embraced by Diddy Kong who missed her dearly.

Sadly, the kremling crew has returned and King K. Rool has been up to his old tricks again. Donkey Kong however always foils there plans again. He has also become the new ruler of Kongo Bongo and is happily married to Candy Kong. Cranky is proud of his grandson though he still isn't very bright. The other day he was eating a banana, when he threw the peel away. Cranky then entered, slipping on it.

"You knucklehead!" Cranky cried.

Donkey Kong also remembers the adventures he enjoyed with Sora and company. Zelda has returned to Hyrule along with Navi, and Link was overjoyed to see them both. When Zelda told Link her secret, he almost had a heart attack because of it. Also, Link finally returned the Ocarina of Time to Zelda, ending the nightmare of Ganondorf. She kissed him on the lips, revealing her love for him. Link decided to settle down in a small village nestled between the twilight of Hyrule. He still goes to visit Zelda all the time and remembers the epic battles he faced along with Sora's group.

Krystal and Fox have gone on a few dates after their adventures at Hallow Bastion. Sometimes those dates would be interrupted by new mission from General Pepper, the Commander-in-Chief of Corneria's defense systems. However, their love life never got in the way of their missions, and Fox knew being the leader of the Starfox team was difficult at times, but knew he had to protect his love ones and make his father proud, who died at the hands of his arch-enemy, Andross. Fox and Krystal worked well together and they never forgot their new friends.

Tooty, Kazooie, and Mumbo Jumbo have returned to their home world called "Isle O' Hags" Banjo, a big bear with yellow shorts was happy to see his sister and Kazooie again. Little did they realize that the evil witch known as Gruntilda was coming up with a sinister plan that may take a year before it gets into motion. Kazooie also hopes that she will one day be able to introduce Sora to Banjo.

The other summons have also returned home; Ness has returned to Onett, being embraced by his friends. He hopes that Sora is alright, and hopes to meet him again someday. Marth continues his battles back in his home world, fighting against the evil dragon Medeus. Mr. Game and Watch has also returned to his world, where he currently switches between jobs, from being a fireman to making sure oil doesn't hit the ground.

Station Square has begun to rebuild itself by the citizens. Sonic and Tails has received a metal of honor for their brave work in saving Station Square. Amy, as always continues to chase after Sonic like the crazed fan girl she was. Tails has worked more independently, going on his own adventures, working on new additions to the Tornado. Knuckles watches over the Master Emerald, a task he knows is destined to do for the rest of his life. Dr. Eggman still tries to come up with plans to take over, but Sonic always foils the plans. Everyone remembers what Sora and his friends did to help stop Eggman's plans.

Goombario was happy to see his family again. He missed them so much, but he knew Toadsworth was still out there somewhere, as well as his role model Mario. He would go on to do great things in the future. Goombario's friends also returned to their homes as well, their loved ones worried to death about them. Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin have returned home as well. With all the money he received from his studies and discoveries, he opened a dome where the multicolored creatures could run free for eternity. Tom Nook, his sons, Rover, and others have also returned to their world, working together in their surreal world to maintain piece.

Back in Dreamland, Tiff has spent a lot of time with Kirby, teaching him more about the English language. King Dedede has also been up to his old tricks, trying new ways of getting rid of the hero of Dreamland. As always Kirby foiled his plans with the help of his friends. The three blade knights have also started a new life in Dreamland, taking in the scenery of its extraordinary beauty. Meta Knight also helps defend Dreamland from the forces of evil. Tiff and Kirby miss Sora's group and hope to see them again someday.

Captain Falcon continues to race, attracting hundreds of fans to come to see him at the F-Zero tracks. The Elite Mobile Task Force continues their battle with bad guys all the time. They even have a new recruit who came from the past named Rick Wheeler. They all remember Sora's group and their part in the downfall of Dark Million.

Ash continues his journey to become the greatest Pokemon master of all time. On his journey he travels with his life long companion and best friend Pikachu. He has entered a new competition, the Hoenn league, traveling to collect new badges and capture new Pokemon. Jessie, James, and Meowth always try to capture Pikachu, but end up getting blasted away. Giovanni has begun a new project to create a machine that is suppose to resurrect the dead. At this point, no one knows if this is true or not. Ash also remembers his experiences from the Human vs. Pokemon tournament. He'll never forget Sora's group.

As for Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith, and Sephiroth, they have returned home, though no one knows what ever happened to the one winged angel after his scuffle with Cloud. The warrior himself never revealed the answer, and kept it like that. In the library, they looked around the castle, starting to plan a way to resurrect Hallow Bastion to before it was destroyed. Leon was impressed with Sora, who beat Ansem.

"He really did it, Leon," Yuffie said excitedly. "He won! I knew that little guy had it in him!"

Leon smiled, "Sora really is a strong fighter. I had my doubts at first, but I realize now that there was nothing he couldn't do." He closed his eyes, dropping his head a bit. "It won't be easy to forget him."

"I miss him, too." Aerith nodded agreement. "He will always be close to our hearts."

Cid and Cloud walked into the room, looking at the library. This was the first time Cloud saw his home world. He was amazed at seeing his home world after nine years.

"Hey, we should get working on rebuilding this dump." Cid announced. "Hallow Bastion can't rebuild itself you know."

"Agreed," Leon nodded. "Come everyone!"

Everyone but Cloud and Aerith left the library to began their plans. Cloud looked at Aerith, his heart opening up to her. He formed a smile upon seeing her. Aerith had tears streaming down her face and ran into his arms, holding him closely.

"I was so scared for you." she whispered.

"I know, but I'm here now..." Cloud comforted. "He may have been my darkness, but you are my light, and I'll never lose my light again."

She looked up at him and kissed him lightly on the cheek, Cloud blushed at this, his knees quivering a little bit. A feeling of love was something he's never experienced in his entire lifetime. Now, he wanted the memories of his dark past to fade away forever. He wanted the light to comfort him, he wanted to learn the meaning of joy, happiness, and friendship. He hugged her again, a tear finally streaming down his face. He was a changed man and he had a yellowed shoed young man to thank for all his help in discovering the truth.

As for Riku and Mario, no one knows their current location at this time. Some say they found a way out of the door of light, while others think the darkness absorbed them. One thing was sure though, they were both alive and trying to find someway to go home and restore piece.

And as for Sora, after being separated from Kairi he was reunited with Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi. They were overjoyed to have their friend back, but were wondering why they didn't return to their homes. They knew that something was wrong. Was the door sealed incorrectly? Was it the right door? Did they not have all the requirements? Whatever the reason, they knew they wouldn't stop searching no matter how long it took.

Their journey continued as they walked down a giant green field on a yellow pathway. It was long path that led down a long field of endless green grass that extended for miles and miles. They didn't know how they ended up here, nor did they know how long it would be before the trail ended. They walked in silence for a long time. They were thinking about their current predicament and how to solve it. Sora had his hands behind his back, looking at the blue, clear sky.

The sun was nice and warm for them as they strolled for a long time. Toadsworth was on Yoshi's back since he was too old to walk long distance. Sora looked at the endless fields, seeing no sign of a town or sign. Silence was upon them for a long time until Luigi finally spoke up.

"This is just great," Luigi moaned. "I'd rather get a reward of Peach's cake then this."

"You don't like her cake?" Sora asked.

"No, I love her cake, but a reward for cake doesn't sound fitting," Luigi replied. "We save her life by risking our necks and that's all we get." He then got angry. "I just can't believe this! We finally found my brother and your friend, and for what? To watch them disappear before our very eyes?" He then started ranting. "This was all for nothing! This wasn't suppose to happen!"

"Sadly, not all quest end in a good way, Master Luigi." Toadsworth pointed out. "Many quests have led to disasters, sacrifices, and other tragedies. Not everything works out like they should."

Sora nodded in agreement, "I'm just as upset about this as you are, man. I mean, I got separated from Kairi. I miss her so much." He then smiled. "But we should be lucky to have each other. I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Yoshi is too." nodded Yoshi in agreement.

"This is worse thing that has ever happened to me." Luigi said sadly. He then remembered all of the times he fell down. "Okay, second worst."

"Luigi, do you remember what you told me when we first met?" Sora said. Luigi shook his head. "You told me not to frown, no sad faces. No matter what the circumstances."

"He's right, Master Luigi," Toadsworth nodded agreement. "We must keep an upbeat attitude about this whole situation. Simply being depressed about it will only make things worse."

Luigi looked at his friends, their faces full of happiness. They were telling him to look on the bright side of the situation. He knew that Mario wouldn't want to see him like this. Luigi smiled at the others, feeling his confidence rising. Luigi wasn't going to let this get to his head.

"You're right, kid." Luigi smiled with enthusiasm. "We can't give up now! If we keep an upbeat attitude, we'll find my brother and your friend faster than Sonic the Hedgehog can run."

"That's the spirit!" Sora cheered. "Never give up!"

"Let's-a-go!" Luigi said excitedly. The four walked down the path again, their excitement building. They knew there was no turning back and no stopping them now. However, they were still lost and had no idea what to do. "Um, so what do we do now?"

Sora put his hands behind his head, "The only thing we can do is find Riku and Mario."

"Yes," Toadsworth agreed. "I say that shouldn't be so hard."

Yoshi then stopped, realizing something.

"But, uh, how we find giant door to light?" Yoshi asked dumbfounded.

The others paused for a movement, realizing they had no leads or anything to even finding Kingdom Hearts. The four dropped their heads down in disappointment, sighing heavily. Sora then heard something rustle in the bush. Yoshi got scared and coward behind Luigi. Sora looked up, noticing a bush with something rustling in it.

"What that?" Yoshi whimpered.

"Relax Yoshi," Toadsworth said calmly. "It's just probably a lost creature of the woods in a bush."

The four then heard someone sneeze.

"Wow, that creature sure does have a way with sneezing." Luigi said with a raised eyebrow.

"Who goes there?" Sora shouted at the bush.

"There's nobody here, go away!" said a high pitched male voice. The four heard that voice somewhere before. "I mean...um...chirp...chirp?"

Luigi walked over to the bush, "Nice try. You have to get up pretty early to fool Luigi."

Luigi opened the bush and gasped to see Bowser Jr in it. Bowser Jr screamed at seeing Luigi and quickly jumped out of it, doing a cannonball onto the ground. Luigi got startled and jumped back to the others. The young koopa landed flat on his feet.

"Hey!" he screamed. "Don't you know it's not nice to sneak up on a little innocent koopa like that?"

"And you actually know what the word nice and innocent means?" Luigi asked rhetorically.

"Shut up!" Jr snapped. He then growled at them. "You big bullies killed my pappa!" He then started crying. "How could you be so nice and kind? My dad was the most evil, lowest, dirtiest down father I ever had!"

Sora started to take pity on the young koopa. Even if they were enemies, Jr was still a little kid raised by an evil creature. He was told the difference between right and wrong, mostly understanding the wrong parts. Sora stepped forward, trying to help the child.

"Look, you're dad tried to destroy everything." Sora explained. "We weren't just going to sit there and do nothing."

"Silence!" Jr growled. "I shall avenge my pappa's death by destroying you four."

"It's pointless." Luigi groaned. "You're not even a waste of our breath."

Jr laughed manically, "You foolish plumber! It's not always the strongest that wins, but sometimes it's the smartest."

"I hate to admit it, but even the son is smarter than the father." Luigi whispered to Sora.

"Wow, he's that dumb?" Sora whispered in surprise.

"Kid, you have no idea how stupid the king of all koopas is." Luigi responded.

"So, mortals, prepare for my reign of terror!" Jr shouted. He then went behind his back, pulling out something that left everyone baffled. It was a white envelop. "Behold!"

The four then started laughing hysterically. He was going to fight them with a letter? A piece of paper? How sad, they thought.

"Oh, Yoshi so scared," Yoshi laughed mockingly. "What Jr going to do, run over and beat Yoshi with it?"

Luigi was cracking up so hard from seeing Jr like that. As he finally calmed down, he noticed something distinguished on the letter. He noticed a red mushroom printed on it. Luigi gasped in surprise upon seeing it.

"Hey, that thing on the letter," Luigi called to everyone. "Look!"

The others noticed it too. Yoshi and Toadsworth gasped in surprise upon seeing it while Sora looked on in confusion.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked Yoshi in confusion.

"That mark on letter is Mario's seal!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Only Master Mario uses that kind of seal!" Toadsworth gasped.

Jr made an evil grin, "Ah, I knew that would catch your attention."

"You runt!" Sora angrily said. "Do you know where Mario is then?"

Jr started laughing, "Like I'd tell you losers! If you want to know so badly then you'll have to catch me first." He then ran for it, running as fast as he could. "So long, suckers."

At that moment, most expected the four to run after him with seriousness, but they were smiling. In fact, they were enjoying every moment of it. They knew that the journey would never end, but they would enjoy every minute of it. Life, it offers the greatest of things. Even in the darkest hours a light can shine through, the joy of it, the feel of it. As long as they looked at the bright side of things, nothing could stop them from completing their mission.

Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi looked at each other excitedly. There was a whole new adventure just around the corner, and with a new lead, things started to look good. Sora happily ran forward, ready to go after the son of the koopa king. He turned to his friends with his famous smile, gesturing them to come on.

"Let's go guys!" Sora said excitedly. "There's a whole new world out there just waiting to be explored!"

The four ran at full speed, running down the narrow path as they chased after Jr. They laughed merrily as they ran down the path. They felt the joy in their eyes, the wind blowing in their faces, their hearts pounding from all the running. As they continued to run down the path they all cheered loudly, showing the happiness they were experiencing of a new adventure.

"Onward I say!" Toadsworth shouted.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered.

"Here-a-we go!" Luigi cheered.

Sora simply chuckled with his famous smile as they ran on and on. Far ahead, they noticed the path extended forever, but that wouldn't stop them from their journey. A long journey that will lead them to new adventures. Sora didn't know what awaited for him on the horizon, but whatever it was, he would be ready to face any challenge, along with the keyblade and his friends. As they ran into the sunset, Sora could have sworn he heard a familiar voice.

"_Remember Sora...you will be the one who opens the door to the light." _

And thus, Sora's journey ends for now. However, one thing was still left unsolved. It haunted him that night as he rested his head against a rock. The air was calm and crisp, a fire was started as the four were circled around it. Luigi and Toadsworth yawned, indicating they were tired. The fire would remain lit to keep them warm through the night. Sora looked at the sky, the stars twinkling away, showing its incredible beauty.

Luigi and Toadsworth both fell asleep right next to each other. They were already snoring loudly which annoyed the boy. He chuckled lightly, realizing that there snoring sounded exactly the same. In fact, Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth all sounded like each other, how bizarre was that? It was like one person talked through all three of them. Yoshi snuggled up into Sora's arms, happy to see his friend again. He gently licked Sora's face, the boy giggling lightly.

Sora stroked Yoshi's head with a smile. He noticed Yoshi making a big yawn right in front of him. The dinosaur was very sleepy as Sora's gentle strokes comfort him. Yoshi's eyes became heavy from the soothing strokes, and soon enough, he fell right asleep. Sora looked back up the sky, admiring the stars. He was thinking about the strange hooded person he met at Hallow Bastion. Who was he? What were his strange words? He looks just like you, he thought. A word that he couldn't throw away like yesterday's trash.

Sora felt tired. He was very weary from his incredible day, and he soon fell into a restful sleep. His body relaxed, feeling his back rest against the ground. It felt so good to have his eye closed. He soon began to dream, but this wasn't a dream like anything he ever seen before. It wasn't a good dream or a nightmare, but it felt real. It was undescribable what he saw. Events that seemed to lead from one to another. It was dark, sinister, something that lead him into more riddles as he witnessed another side of another story.

It began in darkness, Sora was seen at a crossroad of the same dirt path they have been traveling on. He looked at the night's sky, staring deeply into space. He then looked at the path. He looked like he was making a choice about which path to take. Darkness appeared in his mind surrounded by a mist of fog, with white words appearing around the darkness.

Utter Silence

The darkness appeared again, only for a short moment. Soon it zoomed out on what appeared to be a piece of paper of some sort. Zooming further out, it turned out to be a message in a clear bottle, gently floating in water. Words appeared out from the opening of the bottle.

A Fragment Tale

A World Without You

The Eyes Will Close

The bottle slowly drifted up to shore, gently pressing against the sand. It was a beach that was unlike anything seen before. In the back, the moon illuminated the beach with a pale light. The beach itself was surrounded by sinister looking, giant branches that bent halfway over the area on each side. On the water were giant stones with giant, pointed ends that stood tall like a building.

In the background were dark, gray mountains standing tall, as far as the eye could egg. A giant rock a bit bigger then the size of an actual person rested on the warm sand's bottom. All of a sudden, the middle seemed to flash with what appeared to be a heartless symbol. The flash lasted for about a glimpse of a second and then, it disappeared. After it disappeared a shrouded hooded figure appeared, out from behind the rock.

He appeared to be the same person Sora encountered from Hallow Bastion. He was focused on something as he looked ahead. The wind blew lightly through the area, giving off a cool breeze. The wind sightly blew the figure's hood up, revealing his eye. A strange yellow eye that resembled the sinister yellow eyes the heartless have. The figure slowly walked towards the beach, very slowly, his feet lightly tapping the sand.

Words again clouded the mind.

Something So Natural

A fuzzy faded out the words, which the fade itself was like a television fuzz from when a cable line is disconnected. A flash revealed a giant city, a city of darkness. Skyscrapers surrounded every inch of the giant city. One who looked up would be breathless by how big it was. It was like the sky couldn't be seen at all. It was nighttime, the neon lights kept the town alive. Many of the lights in the windows were also lit up.

It was raining in this city of mystery. It poured hardly, the drops hitting the puddles on the ground, creating small waves with each drop. Some of the neon lights sparkled from the rain. Strangely, nobody seemed to around at all. Excluding the rain it was pretty quite, not a soul around...or so to thought. In the distance, another shrouded hooded figure appeared from a distance. He wore the same zippered up, dark cloak like the other one. This one was different, his face could be seen, but his eyes were covered by his fair blonde hair. He seemed to be around Riku's age, perhaps a little older.

He wore brown shoes and his feet seemed to resemble that of Sora's gargantuan feet. He slowly walked through the town, his feet stepping on the puddles. He heard the loud booming sounds of the thunder bellowing throughout the city. He felt the pressure of the raindrops through his hood as he walked to the center of the city. He looked around the area as if he was expecting someone. As he reached the center of the city, he looked up at one building that stood out. It was a giant building with many T.V. monitors above it.

On the bottom floor of the building was a giant opened door, a bright light flashing out of it. There were two stars on each side of the building that went down each end of the building. Around it were gargoyle like statues and above it was neon lights with a star in the middle. The young man could hear sounds rustling around the area. He slightly looked to his left, noticing a small dark wave appearing on the wet ground.

Soon a shadow heartless came out of the dark wave. However, they weren't the same shadows Sora first encountered. These shadows seemed to stand on both feet, their muscles much more bigger then their previous forms. Their antennas were also much longer. What seemed to start as one lone shadow called a NEO shadow seemed to end up being hundreds of them. They appeared from all sides of the area, covering every ground.

They were ambushing the young man from all corners. It was a thousand to one in this battle. The man appeared to be calm though, he was even smirking, licking his lips. It seemed this person was up to the challenge on taking on an endless number of them. He stood his ground, his face showing a sense of alertness. Looking up again the person noticed somebody else up there. The person who was up there was another figure, but unlike the others, this one wasn't wearing a hood, but still wore the zipped down jacket.

He had familiar long white hair like Riku. Was it Riku? It wasn't too sure as a blindfold covered his eyes, but this person seemed to see, considering he was watching the hooded boy's every movement. The young man turned his head back to see he was totally surrounded. The odds seemed slim for the mysterious person. One of the shadows got on its hands, as if ready to pounce. It them leaped towards the hooded figure with its deadly sharp claws out.

As it got close the hooded man lightly smirked, ready for the attack. The shadow was just about to get to his face when the boy quickly drew something from out of his coat, slashing the heartless into pieces with a quick horizontal slash. He held the weapon he drew with both hands, gripping the handles tightly. That weapon was non other then a keyblade, the Oblivion keyblade to be more precise. The heartless all started running at the young man, attacking will all their might.

The boy stood calmly, watching the shadows approach him. He didn't seem too worried. One leaped at him again and he gave a hard vertical kick at it, knocking it into air. While in the air, the boy threw his keyblade into the air, slashing the heartless into oblivion. Two came at him and he quickly did a jump split, kicking both heartless in the chest. His keyblade came back down and he caught it with one hand, and then quickly, he brought it down another one.

One swiped at him, but he did a back flip over the attack. While flipping over he noticed more coming at him. As he landed, he did a one-hundred and eighty degrees turn and slashed a row away. A few more jumped at him, but he quickly put his keyblade up, blocking the attacks. He pushed the shadows off of him, sending them crashing into others.

The man slashed his way through a group, slashing away with hard blows. One swatted at his chest, but he moved his chest in. He then slashed at the one attacking him, cutting it into pieces. Looking up he saw four more attack him from the sky. He quickly bolted backwards, just missing the four from attacking. He leaped forward, keyblade tightly gripped in his left hand. He slashed through the four, cutting them into pieces.

One rammed him in the back, sending him sliding across the floor. The boy quickly jumped up and landed next to a stop sign. He slashed at another one that came at him. He then spun around the stop sign, avoiding another one. His back was pressed against the sign, but he remained calm. Looking over his shoulder he saw more coming at him. The boy quickly spun around again to face them, the creatures leaping at him.

Quickly, the man ducked under their attacks and countered with a slash. More attacked from the air and he quickly threw his keyblade into the air, destroying the creatures of darkness. He then grabbed onto the metal pole of the stop sign, and pushed himself up. He then spun around the pole, running on the heartless that came near him. He then used his hands to slowly make his way down the pole, while still running around the heartless. As he finally landed on the ground, he slid under the heartless, getting away from them.

He stood up and saw another one come at him, ready to strike when the keyblade quickly came from the sky and slashed it to the ground. Because of the hard impact, the keyblade bounced back up, giving the boy a chance to grab it, and quickly do another one-hundred and eighty spin, slashing another one away. He saw another one attack from behind, but he did a hand stand and pushed off, landing back in the center of the city.

The heartless ran at the boy again, ready for another assault. One jumped at him, but the unexpected happened; from his other hand, the young man drew another weapon that slashed the heartless away. It was never possible. Something no one has ever seen before has finally happened. The weapon that the hooded person drew was another keyblade, the Oathkeeper. This person was able to wield two keyblades at once. He spun his keyblades around, slowly walking towards the heartless, the creatures of darkness scarcely backing off.

The duel wielder released the grip on his keyblades, letting them spin around near his hands. He then perfectly grabbed the handles and clashed his blades together, electricity sparkling out of them. Meanwhile, the blindfolded person stretched his arms into the air, his face looking up at the sky. The rain passed as the clouds in the sky moved away, revealing a meteor shower that poured down from the sky.

A giant heartless symbol in the shape of purple fire surrounded the hooded man which caused the shadows to slowly back away. The blindfold figure slowly slid his blindfold off, getting a good chance to see the hooded figure below. The duel wielder slowly looked up at the blindfolded figure, glancing at him for a few moments. He then spoke up with a harsh tone in his voice.

"Where's Sora?" he demanded.

Looking back down, he saw another shadow leap at him again. The boy groaned, growing a little annoyed. He put the Oblivion out, causing the heartless to trip over it. The duel wielder spun around as it fell, putting the Oathkeeper out, cutting it in two. Another one jumped at him, but he quickly spun around, destroying it with his keyblade. Another one attacked from behind, and the duel wielder swatted it into the air with one keyblade, as he stabbed another that came towards him with the other keyblade.

The Memory Beyond

The boy side stepped two that came at him and countered with two over the shoulder attacks, destroying them both. They started to attack him again, the man slicing and dicing at them with everything he got. He kicked one away that came at him and he jumped into the air with a spin, destroying a group that came from the air. Landing, he tripped one with his foot and spun around with another slash.

One smacked him across the area, sending him crashing into a wall, ruble exploding from it. As the dust cleared the wall revealed a giant hole. The duel wielder jumped out from it, unfazed. One kicked at him, but he blocked it with one. He turned to kick another one who leaped over, sending a kick at the boy, who did a cartwheel over the attack. He jumped onto a small deck on one of the buildings, landing with both feet. Looking over the deck, he saw the heartless scale the building.

One landed on the deck with him, throwing a punch, but the boy jumped onto the round table, avoiding the attack. He noticed one fired dark red beams at him. Thinking quickly, the duel wielder jumped off table and kicked down on the leg of the table, causing it to spin into the air. The man quickly grabbed the leg and held out the round part as the beams hit it, shielding him from the attack. He quickly jumped off the deck and landed on the ground again, noticing the shadows jumping off like a water fall.

The man leaped back as they attacked again. He quickly bolted forward, spinning his body, slashing away at all of the heartless. He then looked up to see three jumping into the air. He quickly did a back flip and landed on the ground. He quickly leaped up, just narrowly dodging their attacks. The heartless quickly looked up, seeing him in the air. They quickly jumped into the air after the duel wielder. Soon more circled around him as they slowly floated into the air.

He slashed one, then another from the opposite side, then again. He then threw his keyblade like a boomerang, killing the remaining heartless that moved in a circle. As it spun down, he grabbed it and bent down onto the ground, and leaped back onto the giant building's entrance, landing between the two stairs. He stood back up, taking a moment from the fighting. The boy showed no sign of weakness or even breaking a sweat. He noticed the shadows were crawling on the statues. Looking out, he saw hundreds of heartless from every corner surrounding the entire part of the city.

Something so simple

The duel wielder looked up at the top of the building, remembering the blindfolded person from earlier. The blindfolded boy looked over the edge to see the duel wielder, his white hair blowing in the wind, a small smirk appearing across his face. The hooded figure looked at the boy with the blindfold like for a few moments. He then continued moving.

He then nimbly jumped onto the building and ran right up it, defying the laws of gravity. He held the keyblades out at his side as he began to pick up speed, the heartless not giving up their pursued against the keyblade wielder. The heartless appeared on the building, trying to block his path. The keyblade master was not too worried though as he slashed through them. More and more join in the chase as he continued to slash through the swarm.

His feet pounded the ground, he felt the wind in his face as he went faster and faster. His heart was racing, he started to feel the sweat. Meanwhile, the blindfolded boy walked out to the edge of the building, looking down at the duel wielder, a smirk appearing across his face.

**XIII**

"Where's Sora?"

"We must find him."

The duel wielder held the Oblivion keyblade out as a line of NEO shadows appear before him. They all leap at him and the boy throws it at them, cutting through them piece by piece. This was the blindfolded boy's chance to act as he dove off the edge of the building.

**12**

Ansem's other report

"A creation born of ignorance."

The keyblade spun past the monitors as it reached the top. The blindfolded boy began to fall off the building. On the way down he caught the keyblade with his left hand and continued to fall. He began to pick up speed as he fell faster, the wind pushing against his face.

**11**

Behind the Darkness, Door to the Light.

The two figures slowly come at each other at the screen. As they get closer, they exchange glances at each other. However, it was hard to tell what their emotions were for seeing each other. The blindfolded boy also noticed the duel wielder replaced Oblivion with the kingdom keyblade.

**X**

The Secret Place

"His voice...It's left of me."

"This time...I'll fight."

The two figures finally passed each other, one still running on the building while the other fell. It became even more strange as flashbacks of the events taking place here began to shop up. It showed the giant building with the meteor shower.

**9**

A world between A forgotten world

The gathering

The next images showed the blindfold boy putting his arms into the air, the hooded figure surrounded by the heartless symbol, the hooded figure talking. Warping back to the present, the blindfold boy continues to fall. Another flash, revealing more strange phrases and numbers.

**VIII**

The third enemy Nobody

"Who is nobody, you ask? They are the nonexistent..."

The duel wielder continues to run up the building. More flashbacks appeared, including a flash of blue crackling energy from the duel wielder clashing his keyblades together. A black and white scene of Sora from his opening dream opening his eyes, a quick red flash, Sora leaning his head back in the same scene.

**VII**

"What took you so long, Kairi?"

"Can we do it? Against that?"

More flashbacks with the two mysterious figures passing each other, black and white image of Sora falling with a meteor shower behind him; Riku holding his hand out, Kairi looking up. Another flash shows the strange beach from the beginning of the dream. The hooded figure from the rock walks up to another hooded figure who sits on a giant stone.

A T.V. fuzzed faded to another black and white scene of Sora, more red energy, the blindfold boy falling.

**Heartless**

"We have come for you my liege."

"You are the source of all heartless."

A fuzzy fade of the duel wielder running up the building, more black and white Sora, the blindfold boy falling again.

**6**

The Thirteenth Order

**Metamorphosis **

"Sora?"

"Sora...why?"

"Bro, are you out of your mind?"

Flashes of Kairi and Sora reaching out to each other, raindrops hitting the ground, the duel wielder looking up at the building, Destiny Islands where an older Kairi with longer hair watches for a meteor fall down from the sky.

**5**

Change

The Third Key

The blindfolded men feel down the rest of the way, killing heartless as he went.

**4**

End of the World

"What is this place?"

"Is this the answer you've been looking for?"

"This is the world's true form."

"Maybe our journey meant nothing after all."

The blindfolded man is about to hit the ground.

**3**

Paradise

A flash of darkness appears again, revealing one final message.

"We'll go together."

**II**

A spire was seen with lightning brightening the place. A shrouded figure spun in from the sky and landed with a flash, revealing it to be Mario, wearing the same clothing as the other hooded figures, his trademark hat under the hood. He held his keyblade out with his left hand, an evil glare in his eyes.

**Kingdom Hearts: The Nintendo Version.**

The darkness fades up, revealing the hooded figure from the beach again. He approached the other hooded figure who sat on a rock. The figure on the rock stared at the glowing moon, he seemed to be in deep thought at the moment. The other hooded figure with the glowing eyes awaited patently for him to respond. Everything was quite, too quite. The wind blew lightly through the area. Finally, the hooded figure on the rock turned to the glowing eyed one.

"Ah, I see you have returned." the first hooded figure said. "Did you go to meet him?" The second one nodded. "You noticed then? A shell?"

"No," responded the second one. "I think it's the true form."

The first hooded figure mumbled something, but was not heard. However, words appeared in the darkness again.

"He looks just like you."

The darkness faded into an endless ocean that extended far as the eye could. The clouds in the sky covered the darkness. Something floated in from the darkness, a figure who flew at a fast pace. That figure was Sora. He flew over the ocean, his body unconscious. He was lifeless as he flew through the endless ocean. He flew away from view until he was long gone. The words appeared one final time.

"Everything is coming back to me, the true..."

Sora gasped as he quickly sat up, his breathing was hard, his heart pounded at a high speed. He knew right away that it was all a dream. He looked around to see the sun slowly starting to make its way into the horizon. He saw Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth, enjoying a nice, peaceful sleep. Sora rested his head on the rock again, trying to remember that strange dream. But something was wrong, he couldn't even remember the dream he just woke up from.

It was like someone reached into his memories and stole his dream. Sora tried to remember what it was, but the only thing he could think of was the hooded man from Hallow Bastion. He took a slow breath, his lungs filling up with air, his heart rate going down. He finally closed his eyes again, realizing that he shouldn't worry. He knew that their was a whole new journey awaiting him, and he would be ready to face it.

He fell back asleep, not dreaming about dark clothed people, but dreamed of his childhood fantasies, the places he longed to travel to. He got deeper into his dreams and started to dream of all the good times, remembering his new friends, and new worlds they've encountered. And thus, Sora's journey ended for now, knowing that a light will always guide him no matter where he goes.

**The End**

A/N: This was my first ever completed story. I feel a sense of pride right now as I sat there typing the Epilogue chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story as I was proud to present it. I thank you all for your kindness and I hope you enjoyed this story. Good-bye my friends, till the day we meet again and may your lights stay strong.


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